Holy Cow!

I have a whopping $6,441.61 in tax deductible expenses from 2002. And that's not even counting the interest I paid on my mortgage ($2,334.36). And, with the exception of cab fare to and from my therapist, I have the receipts and donation acknowledgement letters and canceled checks to prove it. And, this is just my talley. Today at 5 o'clock, I sit down with my accountant (and current Chairman of GMSMA). Hopefully, he'll have one of those checklists of things you wouldn't dream are tax deductible, but are.

I was sort of alarmed to learn that clothing purchased exclusively for work--my SoHo shopping spree prior to coming to work for Boss Sunshine--is not, in fact tax deductible. Only if it's a uniform required by company policy do you get to write it off. Dang.

Some things that ought to be Tax Deductible... Dog food and vet bills, gym memberships (they can be, but only if your doctor tells you to lose weight), public transportation costs, insurance premiums, home improvement expenses, internet connectivity, and anything horticultural.

I would argue that there's a legitimate public interest served by promoting the activities that results in all of these expenses being incurred. That being the case, any purchase made at a store or restaurant in lower Manhattan in the eight months following September 11, 2001 should be tax deductible as well.

Of course, in terms of reparations for past injustice, how about making all those expenses associated with Leather and S/M tax exempt, too. We do so much to make this world a better place...

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