4 Simple Steps to Reduce Your Taxes

With Tax Season upon us, here are 4 simple steps to lower your tax bill this … #1: … How Serious Your Tax Problem IsAre you aware of just how much in taxes you are paying? Here’s how

With Tax Season upon us,Guest Posting here are 4 simple steps to lower your tax bill this year.

STEP #1: Understand How Serious Your Tax Problem Is

Are you aware of just how much in taxes you are paying?

Here’s how much the average family spends on various consumer categories — as a percentage of income.

You must realize that it’s not how much you spend on taxes that is important, it’s how much you spend on taxes as compared to all other major categories of spending!

Consumer Spending:
How Do You Spend Your Hard-Earned Dollars?

Taxes ———————- 32.0%
Housing ——————– 16.7%
Medical Care ————— 11.5%
Food ———————– 8.2%
Transportation ————- 7.9%
Recreation —————– 5.7%
Clothing ——————- 4.1%
Savings ——————– 1.4%
Other Miscellaneous ——– 12.5%
TOTAL ——————— 100.0%

So, if you think you are being “nailed” by the government, you are absolutely right. You spend more on taxes than any other category of consumer spending.

In fact, you spend more on taxes than on food, clothing, and housing combined!

And it’s not just federal income taxes we’re talking about here. There’s also state and local income tax, payroll tax (Social Security and Medicare), sales tax, excise tax and property tax.

Maybe you already knew “intuitively” that your tax bill is outrageously high. If not, the picture I’ve just painted should thoroughly convince you that you pay too much tax, period.

STEP #2: Get The Right Attitude About Your Taxes

What do I mean by this? Well, you simply must have a certain “mental attitude” toward this whole idea of paying taxes. I’ll get right to the point — you must have an attitude about taxes that says, “Enough is enough. I’m paying way too much tax and I don’t like it! And it’s about time I did something about it — TODAY!”

After reading those numbers above, how do you feel? Doesn’t that just make you furious? If so, great, then you are on your way to solving this problem. (Remember the old cliche — “You can’t solve a problem until you admit you have one!”)

If you saw those numbers above and said, “Big deal. So I pay 32% in taxes. So what? So does everybody else in this country” — well, I’m sorry, but you might as well just stop reading this article right now. You will continue to pay too much tax because you really don’t care about it.

To reduce your taxes, you must have a passion for paying less tax. You must get angry about it.

Before today is over, go get last year’s personal income tax return (Form 1040) and look at how much tax you paid.

When you have Form 1040 in front of you, do you realize where the most important number is on this form?

NO, it’s not Line 67 — which tells you how much of a refund you got (if any!).

NO, it’s not Line 70 — which tells you how much you still owed, the balance due with the return.

The most important number on Form 1040 is Line 58.

It says: This is your TOTAL TAX. That is how much federal income tax you paid for all of last year. When it comes to reducing your taxes, it doesn’t matter whether you got a refund or whether you had a balance due.

What matters is — what was your total tax liability for the year. That’s the “magic number” that should just make your blood boil and your heart beat so fast that you can hardly stand it.

Now that I’ve got you all “riled up” about paying so much tax, let’s move on to Step #3.

STEP #3: Realize That Reducing Taxes Is The Easiest Path Possible To Creating Wealth

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Rising Property Taxes

During the current market many homeowners property value has gone way down. While there property value has dropped significantly there property taxes have stayed the same, or in some cases they have actually increased. Even if property owners pay their mortgage on time every month they are still at risk of losing their home if they fail to pay their property taxes.

Many homeowners have been taken by surprise when the value of their home suddenly seemed to hit freefall. However,Guest Posting it would certainly seem as though there should be one advantage to dropping home prices. Many homeowners assumed that when the value of their homes fell, their property taxes would as well. This has not been the case in many areas though.

In some cases; homeowners have been shocked to discover that not only have their property tax bills not decreased, but they have actually increased. This has been quite a surprise for homeowners as they struggle to understand why they are paying more in taxes on homes that are not worth as much as they were just a year ago.

The reason for this relates to the complex manner in which property taxes are calculated in many areas. One of the biggest problems, especially in Nevada, is the fact that property tax increases were capped during the housing boom. During this time home values skyrocketed rapidly. Today, the values of homes in these same areas are falling; however, the decreases have not actually been enough to compensate for the increases of just a few years ago. Consequently, the values of homes would need to decrease sharply over a short period of time in order for property tax bills to decrease. While declining property values have certainly been a problem, they simply have not decreased enough in many areas to provide any relief from property tax bills.

As the rate of defaulted loans and foreclosures continue to soar in many locations, numerous counties have discovered that the rate of unpaid properties taxes is also on the rise. The metro Detroit area, in particular, is experiencing a record high rate of unpaid property taxes. Detroit is currently considered to be one of the worst housing markets in the United States based on the decline of housing prices and increase of foreclosures. The lack of jobs and weak economy in the greater Detroit area are considered to be the primary factors contributing to the housing crash in the area.

Even if property owners are paying their monthly mortgage payments on time they could still be at risk for losing their properties through foreclosure if they fail to pay their property taxes for three years in a row. In such situations, the county would then take control of the home and auction it off to pay the balance of taxes owed. Counties in the Detroit area are currently struggling to recoup hundreds of millions of dollars in unpaid property taxes. The issue has had significant repercussions on counties in the greater Detroit area.

Property owners who find they are behind on the property taxes can take some steps to stave off foreclosure. The first step is to begin making payments on their taxes. Many homeowners make the mistake of thinking they are doomed if they cannot pay off all of the taxes owed and thus pay nothing at all. Keep in mind that making any payment, even if you cannot pay all of the taxes, is better than paying nothing at all. If you are not able to pay all of the taxes; at least try to pay off your oldest taxes first. Remember that taxes which remain unpaid for three years consecutively place you at risk for foreclosure. Pay off the oldest taxes first to combat this risk.

You might also check with your county to determine whether you may be eligible for an extension for property taxes which are unpaid. In some situations, the county treasurer may be able to grant you an exemption for your taxes if you are able to demonstrate extreme hardship. It is best to do this as early as possible; however, as there are commonly deadlines for the exemption applications.

In addition, check with your mortgage company or bank to find out whether they offer any type of program or loan that can provide you with the money needed to cover your taxes. It is never in the best interest of the bank to have the county take over the property, so they are often willing to work with the homeowner to avoid having this happen. Keep in mind; however, that when you do this will you will be taking on an increased debt burden.

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