Fun Tax Fact No. 1:
Dog food is a nourishing tax deduction. According to tax preparation specialist H&R Block, dog food qualifies as a tax deduction for owners of guide dogs or outdoor pooches that protect farm crops and herds. Yet haircuts are ineligible, even for members of the police or armed forces whose jobs depend on well-shorn locks. It’s.. read more →
Weird Canadian Tax write-offs #2
Did you know? After successfully writing off his gambling losses in 2002 and in 2003, Giuseppe Tarascio’s luck ran out when the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) decided to disallow his losses and associated expenses. The CRA claimed that Tarascio had no “systematic method” for gambling and didn’t spend time honing his gambling skills. Furthermore, the.. read more →
Weird Canadian Tax Write-Offs #1
Did you know? Cold beer is North America’s top selling drink, and for one gas station owner, one decent tax deduction. One industrious business owner figured out a way to deduct his beer expenses; he didn’t drink it, he gave them away as part of a promotion. The Tax Court agreed that this was a valid business.. read more →
Weird Tax Fact #10
You have no choice. The hard stuff just calls to you. Did you know? Coming from Chicago, the candy tax has as much to do with semantics as it does chemistry. Who can blame them for taxing something irresistible? For example, candies prepared with flour (like chocolates and ice cream) count as “food,” and are.. read more →
Weird Tax Fact #9
Did you know? Taxes on cow flatulence have been proposed in several European countries in recent years, including Ireland and Denmark. The Irish variant, which was ultimately defeated before it became law, called for a tax of $18 per animal, while Danish proposals were even more stringent, including levies “as high as $110 per cow”.. read more →
Weird Tax Fact #8
Did you know? It would be difficult to come up with a more asinine activity to tax than urinating. Nevertheless, Roman Emperor Vespasian pushed such a tax through during his time on the throne (AD 69-79), applying it to “all of Rome’s many public toilets.” More specifically, the tax itself was paid by toilet operators.. read more →
Weird Tax Fact #7
Did you know? Germany’s second contribution to today’s article is even more bizarre than its first. A seldom-discussed and rarely used deduction in Germany’s tax law that permitted private businesses to write off the costs of bribery on their corporate income tax returns. According to BusinessWeek, the reason the deduction was not used more often.. read more →
Weird Tax Fact #6
Did you know? While Italy has moved to heavily tax sex toys (among other pornographic products), MSNBC reported in 2006 that the Australian government had begun allowing “tax deductions for adult toys and lingerie.” While these deductions are restricted to prostitutes, strippers and dancers, the range of items they can deduct is quite broad, encompassing.. read more →
Weird Tax Fact #5
Did you know? In 1874, the British government expanded its effort to tax people based on their accumulated wealth (rather than their current, yearly income) by slapping a unique tax on hats. The tax fell primarily on retailers, who were forced to apply for licenses and levy any number of different taxes as part o.. read more →
Weird Tax Fact #4
Did you know? In the Netherlands, citizens are apparently permitted to deduct the costs of training in the fine art of witchcraft. On Mint.com, it refers to Margarita Rongen as a “tax verified witch”, citing the Daily Mail’s report on how Rongen had successfully deducting thousands of dollars in schooling. In Rongen’s case, “schooling” was.. read more →
