Today I love the IRS

[Bob Slydell]

Or give somebody who knows how to play the system, and is doing just fine, a little bonus straight from other tax payers. EIC needs to go.

ITA Well, maybe not the EIC needs to completely go away, but a major overhaul is certainly needed.

 

[DwarfMaster]

DwarfMaster,

Do we have the same neighbor lol..

Probably!

I swear she's got it all figured out. She found some government transportation grant that gave her $3000 towards a car. Plus she gets the free daycare ~ cause ya know she might find a job somewhere.

 

[LisaNJ25]

Probably!

I swear she's got it all figured out. She found some government transportation grant that gave her $3000 towards a car. Plus she gets the free daycare ~ cause ya know she might find a job somewhere.

Oh man.. maybe they are sisters .

Mine also is not married and her and her bf each file seperate and each claim one kids (olderst one isnt his). So than you are looking at 5-6 thousand back for both of them.

 

[tar heel]

I think the EIC was well intended but has some obvious problems. It's supposed to help make it more beneficial to work than be on welfare to help enable low income earners to stay afloat. I'm sure it does that in some cases. I agree with Bob that it needs to be overhauled rather than abolished.

When I was in college, my roommate had major financial aid and had a major shopping trip each semester when she got the check -- and I don't mean textbook shopping! I had no financial aid and could have never done that kind of shopping.

Sometimes you just have to remind yourself how much you've got instead of commiserating over stuff like this. Our little tax refund will help pay for a new transmission for our six-year-old van (the newest of our three vehicles BTW) b/c I don't need a $500 car payment next year when I'll have two kids in college. We will be driving old cars, but we also will come home to a nice house and our kids don't have to worry for one second about where their tuition money is coming from. Really, I'm the lucky one -- not someone qualifying for EIC.

 

[cardaway]

I think the EIC was well intended but has some obvious problems. It's supposed to help make it more beneficial to work than be on welfare to help enable low income earners to stay afloat. I'm sure it does that in some cases. I agree with Bob that it needs to be overhauled rather than abolished.

Well I still vote abolished because making it beneficial should be limited to things that actually make it beneficial to work, not make it more attractive than welfare . Things like a break on daycare and subsidized transportation.

As it stands, it's just like welfare in how easy it is to abuse the system.

 

[mudnuri]

I hope your not serious, but anyway its examples like these why I say the EIC is a load of If you can afford a Passat, I can't and don't qualify for EIC, you don't need any EIC.

OMFG your kidding me...............

 

[tnhillbilly]

I will be honest I never understood getting back more than you paid in. It would seem at best-you should only qualify for a full refud of what you paid.[/QUOTE]

You said it. I worked with people (men and Wemen) that also got huge checks and it all went to junk, not the kids or to increase their standard of living. One lady, living with her bf (owned his own heat/A/c co) had 5 kids and when it came tax time she got a new ATV (4-Wheeler) paid for with my taxes.

 

[Toby'sFriend]

I agree that the Earned Income Credit has the best intentions --- it should be used to encourage families to work and to help them maintain a minimum standard of living.

But unfortunately it seems like so many people get those checks and instead of using it for things like heating their apartments or buying needed supplies for their kids ....

it goes for things that many people making incomes above the cutoff levels can't afford or save for months or years to buy.

It is frustrating to see, but that is our tax code for you.

 

[moparmuscle]

OMFG your kidding me...............

OFMG Dead Serious!

 

[cardaway]

IOne lady, living with her bf (owned his own heat/A/c co) had 5 kids and when it came tax time she got a new ATV (4-Wheeler) paid for with my taxes.

The key being somebody living with another person which increases the standard of living, reduces their bills, but rarely ever gets reported as a change in total income.

 

[zulaya]

This will be the first year we will have to pay in. I made a lot with Pampered Chef this year, but I think the big kicker was DH took a new job last April and the withholdings he took were too little. It's a fairly significant chunk of change that I'm not happy to have to come up with. He fixed the withholdings now so we shouldn't have that problem next year.

 

[DisneyTarheel]

muhahahahahhahahahahahah

LCD tv, sectional couch, new stereo for the Passat...........

Here I come!!!

(dont bother telling me to change my withholdings....It's all EIC and child tax credit plus school credits...regardless I'm going to get this type of refund)....

Brandy

Would also make a nice contribution to a ROTH IRA for yourself, or perhaps 529 plan(s) for your child(ren).

 

[SillyMe]

Let the woman spend her money the way she wants to. Maybe she busted her butt all year long to support her children BY HERSELF and now she wants to do something a little frivolous. Big freakin' deal.

 

[Alicnwondrln]

a member of my family does this
it drives me nuts
I AM NOT JUDGING THE OP
she just works alittle gets like triple more than she paid and taxes and it ALL gets wasted
it really makes so mad that we bust our butts for what we have
we did get $ back last year but before that the pervious 3 years we had to pay 3 years in a row
they really need to over haul
it seems like the middle class are getting squeezed at both ends

 

[SillyMe]

Why are people assuming that everyone that qualifies for the EIC only works a little? I work full time year-round, bust my butt working and will qualify for EIC now because I am a single mother with 2 children.

 

[floridafam]

People are so quick to judge.

How do we know she doesn't already put $ away for her children's educaton?

DH and myself put $ away for our kids, invest and plan for a rainy day. Is there something wrong with going out and buying a nice computer or a tv or something for ourselves with our refund?

So, everyone who disagrees with her decision, do you have all of your credit cards paid off? Most of you have Disney trips in your signatures or pictures of the DVC you own. Are you sure you shouldn't have invested that $ instead?

 

[floridafam]

sillyme,

I agree. I think DH received the EIC when we were first starting out. He worked full time and went to school at night. (we're very proud of him)

 

[phorsenuf]

People are so quick to judge.

How do we know she doesn't already put $ away for her children's educaton?

DH and myself put $ away for our kids, invest and plan for a rainy day. Is there something wrong with going out and buying a nice computer or a tv or something for ourselves with our refund?

So, everyone who disagrees with her decision, do you have all of your credit cards paid off? Most of you have Disney trips in your signatures or pictures of the DVC you own. Are you sure you shouldn't have invested that $ instead?

I don't think so much the issue is she's buying things per se because some of that money she did pay in. What bothers people is when people get back more than what they pay in. So lets say she pays in $1000 but gets $1500 back because of the EIC credit. Essentially it us, the taxpayers that are buying that LCD TV. I'm assuming that is the problem alot of people see.

 

[CheshireVal]

I don't think so much the issue is she's buying things per se because some of that money she did pay in. What bothers people is when people get back more than what they pay in. So lets say she pays in $1000 but gets $1500 back because of the EIC credit. Essentially it us, the taxpayers that are buying that LCD TV. I'm assuming that is the problem alot of people see.

Exactly. I'd rather be able to buy an LCD for myself before I start pitching in to help others get one!

 

[Crankyshank]

Exactly. I'd rather be able to buy an LCD for myself before I start pitching in to help others get one!

I'm not commenting on the OP because I'm not aware of her situation but it drives me nuts to hear people I know who work the bare minimum to qualify for EIC and heating assistance and other programs and then blow their huge refunds on "toys" instead of things that would help them pay their bills, heat their house, gas their cars, buy clothes for the kids, etc... instead of relying on the tax payer to do it for them and then complain they didn't get enough help.