Finances And Money

There are times when we the taxpayers find ways of writing off items that the IRS would try to keep us from getting. It is true that most of us try to find crazy ways to write off the oddest items. We ask ourselves, “How about a charitable contribution for all the time I donate to the church?” But we all know deep down that we can’t. Or can we?

On the other hand, over the years our fellow taxpayers have worked their way around the IRS in court on payments for many crazy things that most of us wouldn’t even dream of claiming. Here are just a few of some of the craziest things that people have used as deductions that we thought everyone would want to know.

1. A couple who owned a junkyard were allowed to write off the cost of cat food that they laid out to attract wild cats around thier home. The feral felines did more than just eat. They also took care of snakes and rats on the property, making the place safer for the customers who came. When the case reached the Tax Court, IRS lawyers conceded that the cost was deductible.

2. If you are switching jobs and meet a couple of tests, you can deduct your moving expenses, including the cost of moving your dog, cat or other pet from your old residence to your new home. Your pet, be it a Pekingese or a python, is treated the same as your other personal effects. So keep that in mind the next time you move.

3. Bermuda is a place that everyone loves to go to. This island is more than just a scenic place to visit, it is also a great place to schedule a tax write-off because business conventions held in Bermuda are deductible without having to show that there was a special reason for the meeting to be held in that particular place.

Other countries in the Caribbean region qualify, too, including Barbados, Costa Rica, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Honduras, Jamaica, Saint Lucia plus Trinidad and Tobago. Meetings held in Canada, Mexico and all U.S. possessions also receive this favorable tax treatment. However, if you were to go to a convention in Paris or Rome or Beijing, though, and there’s no deduction unless you can show it made as much sense to travel abroad as to head to Pittsburgh.

4. This is a good one. A pro bodybuilder used body oil to make his muscles glisten in the lights during all of his competitions. The Tax Court ruled that he could deduct the cost of the oil as a business expense. However, the Court frowned on his deductions for buffalo meat and special vitamin supplements to enhance strength and muscle development.

5. Rather than drive five to seven hours to check on their rental condo or be tied to the only daily commercial flight available, a couple decided to buy their own plane. The Tax Court allowed them to deduct their condo-related trips on the aircraft, including the cost of fuel and depreciation for the portion of time used for business-related purposes, even though these costs increased their overall rental loss.

6. This is peraphs the most interesting one. To get more tips, a stripper with the stage name “Chesty Love” decided to get breast implants to make her a size 56-FF. A Tax Court judge allowed Chesty to write off the cost of her operation, equating her new assets to a stage prop. Be careful what you wish for the operation proved to be a problem for Chesty. She later tripped and ruptured one of her implants.

7. This is the one that everyone is going to try to use. In a novel promotion, a gas station owner gave his customers free beer in lieu of trading stamps. Proving that sometimes beer and gasoline do mix, the Tax Court allowed the write-off as a business expense. Lucky guy!

8. A taxpayer with emphysema put in a pool after his doctor told him to develop an exercise regime. He swam in it twice a day and improved his breathing capacity. Turns out he swam in the pool more than his family did.

The Tax Court allowed him to deduct the cost of the pool (to the extent the cost exceeded its added value to the property) as a medical expense because its primary purpose was for medical care. Also, the cost of heating the pool, pool chemicals and a proportionate part of insuring the pool area are treated as medical expenses.