The Official 2010 TAX filing Thread

[Joe Public]

Married filing jointly versus married filing separately. In calculating both, one way gives us a substantially lower tax bill. My question: assume we get audited and we filed the way less expensive way. Could the IRS somehow screw us over and claim we have to file the way that gives them the most money? I just don't get how the same income yields different tax results depending on which way we file. That seems messed up to me. I really wish everyone had to pay their own taxes instead of having them automatically deducted.

If a married couple qualifies for both filing statuses, then the couple may choose either filing status. The difference in tax comes mainly from the use of different rate brackets as well as from different rules for the two statuses regarding certain deductions, credits, etc. Some people prefer to file separate returns for privacy or liability reasons.

[il Padrino Ute]

Down with taxes!