Fred Ecks ([info]fredx) wrote,
@ 2006-02-17 10:01:00
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Four More Years!
I filed my taxes yesterday. Total federal income tax: $0.00. Total state income tax: $0.00. This makes four years in a row without paying a dime in income tax. Ever since the "retirement savings contribution credit" went into effect as a bone thrown to the poor as part of the tax cut for the rich in 2001, I've lived below taxable levels. I strive to maintain this as a form of protest against the actions of the federal government in recent years. I want to continue through 2008; we'll see if I succeed.

Yesterday, I figured out a simplistic threshold to keep in mind for this purpose. That threshold is $15000 Adjusted Gross Income, which is the level below which $2000 or more contributed to a retirement plan yields a $1000 available tax credit to offset any tax. If $2000 is the contribution amount, this would give a gross income of $17000. I contribute the maximum to my IRA each year, which means I can have up to $19000 gross income and still pay no tax. All these numbers are for a single filer.

Dave wrote up a web page which describes this succinctly:

http://www.sniggle.net/Experiment/index.php?entry=howto

To summarize, it's impressive just how extravagant a perfectly legal tax-resister's lifestyle can be!


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(Anonymous)
2006-02-18 03:36 am UTC (link)
Thanks to the info on this site, I was able to use the credit for qualified retirement savings contributions too. I couldn't get my AGI down to $15,000, so I wasn't able to take the full credit ($1,000) but got a partial of $200. Now that I'm working part time I may qualify for the full credit in 2006. In 2005 I made less money than I have in years, got a $500 refund back, and my standard of living hasn't changed. Bethers

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[info]fredx
2006-02-18 07:54 pm UTC (link)
Hi Bethers. Nice work! :-)

Things brings to mind one point, though. That $500 refund you received was actually $500 you lent to the federal government, for free. If you instead were to change your W-4 witholdings such that you owe money at tax time, you could turn the tables, getting an interest-free loan *from* the feds. If I recall correctly, there's no penalty so long as what you owe is less than 10% of your total tax.

A tax refund may feel good, but it's just money that was taken from you that's eventually being given back, with no interest. Ouch!

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(Anonymous)
2006-02-19 08:10 pm UTC (link)
I hear ya Fred. I usually don't get a refund, but things got a little funky last year as for part of the year I was both an employee and a subcontractor. So, I wasn't really sure how things would shake out. Bethers

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