We have nothing to fear but fear itself! Fear is the weapon of mass deception for the IRS. The IRS is weak with few agents and can only audit a minor amount of todays taxpayers. Most of the IRS agents themselves do not understand the tax law as it has been "simplified" so many times that it is now extremely complicated. The IRS relies on fear to keep most honest and maybe that is not all that bad. The truth is you should take any and all deductions that you actually have and worry about the IRS if they come calling. If the IRS disallows your deduction then they simply collect the tax you would have paid anyway plus a penalty which is actually an interest calculation that they call a penalty so you can't turn around and claim a deduction for the interest. Fraud is only if you have under-reported your tax information by 25% or more. So forget the fear of the IRS and run your business for a true accounting and reporting of profits and you can sleep good at night.

Would you believe that due to low income and child credits (a form of welfare) it was best to not take many deductions this year for a tax return I prepared for one of my small construction business clients. I actually got the client more tax refund by not taking some of the business deductions. Its time congress did away with the individual income tax and put preparers like me out of the individual tax business. Why should I and the public have to go through this tax mental masterbation every year? What do you think?

my 2???