end of tax thread?

[James Grebe]

Since I was the one to start the thread on business deductions I will sum
up what I have learned from all your responses, public and private.
First, there is no where else on earth I would rather live than the USA.  I
am willing to pay my fair share of taxes.  I hope to recoup monetarily
those things that I have that are devoted to my business and to the end of
making money for me, my family, and my government.
	If you have something that you have for business use, unless you can 100%
say under oath and in the eye that you have never used the object for
anything other than business you better not claim 100% business use,  This
would include a business vehicle or today your computer.  For instance, I
bought this computer in January for its ability to get me on the internet
and on to this list to connect me with others in the same business to make
me a wiser piano technician and to keep in touch with others doing the same
thing around the world.  I have another computer which I am still using for
my financial records and my client database.  If you have bought a new
computer lately you are aware of all the bundled programs on there that you
will never use: for instance, games.  I am not a game person but the fact
is my computer was shipped to me with some games on the hard drive.  If
asked under oath I could not day that I have never had a game loaded  I
could not say no.  I have but just to look at it.  I don't play games on my
computer but it came with it and it is still there on the hard drive.  With
what I have learned, I better not claim this new computer as 100% business
because I could not say that I have never looked at the games at all.
Anything at all where you have ever did anything that was personal cannot
be 100% business.  That means to be safe you better to a 90%/10% or some
other proportion for tax purposes.
	If you have a home office, it better not be anything else but a home
office used exclusively for your business all the time.
	If you have a business vehicle it is safer to claim a 90%/10% deduction
rather than say you had at least once used it for personal use.
	If you have a shop used for your work, don't call it a home office.  call
it a piano shop, which is what it really is and take the percentage of what
per cent it is of your total area.
	Anything else use your own judgment but try not to take 100% of anything.
It might be one thing to win with an auditor but another to give you back
your time trying to prove a point.
I have learned from your input and my deduction will be changing for next
year.  Thanks for all who offered their opinions.
James Grebe from St. Louis
pianoman@inlink.com