Personal Income Taxes
I cannot promise you a refund but I will squeeze as much that is allowable. There are many gray areas in the tax code. If a position has a realistic possibility of being sustained on its merits, I will advise you on it and any potential penalties and allow you to make the decision. Below are some of the common issues for individual tax payers. Any complaints about income taxes should be addressed to Congress.
AMT (Alternative Minimum Tax) is a good idea gone bad. AMT was originally enacted by Congress to insure that very wealthy taxpayers did not avoid taxes by using large deductions. Unfortunately, the criteria that was enacted has not been adjusted for inflation. As a result, every year "ordinary" taxpayers become subject to AMT and have additional taxes due. In California, one of the federal deductions taxpayers lose is state income taxes. California and New York both have high state income taxes but politically they are the wrong color. If you have not yet become subject to AMT, be prepared.
EIC (Earned Income Credit) is a refundable credit to assist lower income tax payers, particularly those with children. EIC errors are in the top ten of all tax return errors per the IRS. It has been said that if one qualifies for EIC then they could not afford to have EIC computed for them.
Home Sale The gain from the sale of your personal residence can be excluded from your income, up to $250,000 for single filers and $500,000 for joint filers. The gain is sales price minus selling cost minus basis. You must have lived in your home for two of the last five years. If less than two years, a prorated amount may be excluded for unforeseen circumstances. If filing married, only one of the tax payers needs to meet the two year test.