• Atlusb@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    39
    ·
    edit-2
    2 days ago

    You see US tax law is so complicated and I know so little about it that I don’t know if this would work or not. I’m guessing somehow not unless you’re rich.

    • Kit@lemmy.blahaj.zone
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      38
      ·
      2 days ago

      Many business owners that I know do a lite version of this. Going out to eat? Discuss work for 5 minutes, then you can call it a business meeting and avoid paying taxes on the meal. Driving to and from work? Gas is a write off. Buying supplies for the office? Tax free, and maybe some of the supplies make it home with you.

      • Emily (she/her)@lemmy.blahaj.zone
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        17
        arrow-down
        3
        ·
        2 days ago

        That’s fraud. The 5 minute business discussion can be written off, the remaining (let’s say) 55 minutes cannot. Maybe it differs where you live, but where I do only travel between work destinations can be written off, so home to work doesn’t count. Buying supplies for the office is a normal and valid expense, taking them home is theft and/or taxable

        • Skydancer@pawb.social
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          12
          ·
          2 days ago

          Last I checked in the US, the time wasn’t a factor. You only get to write off 50% though - I think the assumption is that you would have had to feed yourself anyway and the extra 50% is the cost of doing so in a restaurant or for the other party’s meal.

        • TrickDacy@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          3
          ·
          2 days ago

          They’re simply talking about what people do and probably usually get away with. I hope no one is reading a comment like that (or yours) on the Internet and then changing how they file their taxes…

        • Kit@lemmy.blahaj.zone
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          2 days ago

          Oh yeah, I probably should have specified that it’s not legal, just common practice. Tax fraud ain’t anything to fuck around with.

      • A_Union_of_Kobolds@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        8
        ·
        2 days ago

        Yeah if you own a small business, learning what you can write off is crucial. It takes a lot of the pain out.

        But you’ve still gotta have an actual business XD