Some of the Most Amazing Tax Deductions Ever

Closeup,On,Notebook,Over,Vintage,Desk,Surface,,Front,Focus,On

At GROCO, we have been doing this for more than 50 years. That means we’ve heard just about every crazy tax story you can imagine. With tax season now officially in full swing we thought we would share some of the craziest tax deduction stories we’ve ever heard; and they’re all true.

A gas station owner gave away free beer at his gas station. At tax time he put all the expense for the beer on his tax return as a business expense. He told the IRS he was trying to entice new customers to pull in and fill up, which was actually a way to promote his business. The IRS agreed.

A couple managing some rental properties decided that they didn’t have enough time to drive around a mountain pass to visit all their homes. The couple decided to buy a private jet instead, so they could see their homes much quicker. They said it should be allowed as a deduction because it saved them so much time. The IRS agreed with them and said it should be allowed as a normal, ordinary and necessary business expense.

Another couple, which owned a junkyard bought a large supply of cat food and then claimed the purchase as a deduction. They said they needed to use the food to attract stray cats. Why, because they needed the cats to keep the rat and snake populations under control.

The best part about all of these stories is that they really happened and the IRS really let these people take these crazy deductions. There’s no question that these taxpayers knew how to milk the system. Want to hear some more crazy tax deduction tales? Just click here.

Posted in

Tax S-corporation

Saving Taxes with an S Corporation An S corporation election allows the shareholders to preserve the benefit of limited liability for the corporate form while at the same time being treated as partners for federal income tax purposes. Ever wondered why so many small businesses operate as an S corporation? Simple. An S corporation saves…

Sec1045 Partnership

Sec1045 Partnerships

Sec1045 Partnerships This document contains final regulations relating to the application of section 1045 of the Internal Revenue Code (Code) to partnerships and their partners. These regulations provide rules regarding the deferral of gain on a partnership’s sale of qualified small business stock (QSB stock) and a partner’s sale of QSB stock distributed by a…

Sec179 Businessequipment

Updated: 11/12/10 Most new business equipment can be either depreciated over its useful life or expensed immediately under Internal Revenue Code Section 179. The maximum deduction is based on the following schedule for the date in which the tax year begins. Each 1040, whether Single or Joint, is limited to one maximum. 179 expenses passed…

Sec1244 Small Business Stock Sales

Sec1244 Small Business Stock Sales

Sec1244 Small Business Stock Sales Section 1244 of the Internal Revenue Code, the small business stock provision, was enacted to allow shareholders of domestic small business corporations to deduct as ordinary losses, losses sustained when they dispose of their small business stock. In order to receive this beneficial treatment, the Code prescribes specific requirements for:…