WHAT’S THE BUZZ? TELL ME WHAT’S A HAPPENNIN’

* Peter J Reilly, who took his excellently titled blog PASSIVE ACTIVITIES AND OTHER OXYMORONS to FORBES.COM a while back, gives us “The Discerning Person's Guide To The Tax Blogosphere”.  Peter lists three blogs that allow you to get a fair sampling of what is happening around the “tax blogosphere”.

I am honored that Peter leads the list with me, The Wandering Tax Pro, specifically referencing my twice-weekly BUZZ posts.  And I am certainly in good company – with Joe Kristan and Paul Caron (the undisputed king of tax bloggers).

Peter did forgot to mention my occasional rants on the steaming pile of excrement known as “reality tv”.

* As a follow-up to the item I referenced in Wednesday’s BUZZ about receiving an IRS notice, Trish McIntire provides an excellent post on instructions from a Tax Pro to a taxpayer who has received a notice in “IRS Notice - Tax Pro” over at OUR TAXING TIMES.

* Kelly Phillips Erb, another FORBES.COM blogger affectionately known as TAXGIRL, got to know Brian Borawski, CPA last Tuesday.  I turns out he had a very informative blog.

Sorry – so far that is 2 items now from last Tuesday that I found too late to include in last Wednesday’s BUZZ installment, due to the fact that I was in Baltimore attending the NATP National Conference.  Oh well – better late than never.

* Make that three – another post from Trish McIntire.  She warns about a phishing scam aimed at tax preparers in “Phishing for Tax Pros”.

I haven’t seen this in my inbox yet.

“So tax pros watch out, with the IRS having to give our demographic info out as part of the Freedom of Information Act, I think we’ll be seeing more targeted phishing and spams.”

* Stephen Ohlemacher of the ASSOCIATED PRESS asks “Can IRS Police Both Taxes and Health Care Law?”.

It is not the IRS who will have to do the dirty work.  You do know to whom the buck will be passed, don’t you.  Tax preparers.  First we were forced to become Social Workers and determine if an individual or family qualified for federal welfare (the Earned Income Credit).  And now we will be forced to determine if a household is covered by health insurance.

* Reader Nancy Parker brought to my attention a post of interest to taxpayer who employ nanny’s and other household employees titled “Expert Insights: Questions and Answers with Stephanie Breedlove” over at eNANNYSOURCE.  

* The TAX POLICY CENTER has a Tax Fact page on “Historical Individual Income Tax Parameters” which shows “U.S. Individual Income Tax: Personal Exemptions and Lowest and Highest Tax Bracket Tax Rates and Tax Base for Regular Tax, Tax Years 1913-2012”.

* Check out the Tax Foundation’s “WeeklyTax Update”.

* Tax pros – did you check out my post on why “You Ought to Give the NATP National Conference a Try” over at TAX PROFESSIONAL?

* And tax pros – don’t forget my Special Summer Savings.

THE LAST WORD-

Another on the money editorial cartoon from USA Today last Wednesday.  In Congress a Republican wants to “Repeal Obamacare”, while a Democrat objects, “How can you repeal the Health Care bill when we haven’t even finished reading it?”

Obamacare is a clear example of the fact that more often than not the idiots in Congress do not actually read the legislation they vote on!

TTFN