tax season

This is high season for tax-related phishing scams, as online con artists try to trick you out of your personal data, and thus your cash. But Internet scams and deceptions are a year-round industry. Here are some tips on how to avoid being conned.

Tax Day is one of those days you probably find yourself thinking about for weeks on end. It's kind of like a reverse Christmas: You know it's coming because those of us in the media have been hyping it in the press for months. You mark it on your calendar and you take steps to get ready. And when...

The three most intimidating letters of the alphabet for most Americans are I-R-S. Very few things strike more fear in a taxpayer's heart than the thought of being audited by the Internal Revenue Service. For years, reports of abuse of power and poor treatment from the IRS ran rampant. That led...

If you saw more money in your federal income tax refund this year, you're not alone. White House officials reported earlier this week that it appears that the average federal income tax refund has increased by 10% this year. The average federal income tax refund for 2009 is $3,036, according to...

As the year-end draws near, lawmakers still can't agree on potential changes to the tax code. The current issue is the Alternative Minimum Tax, AMT for short. The AMT was enacted nearly 40 years ago, and was intended to make sure that high-income taxpayers with lots of deductions still paid a...