tax

It's that time of year again: tax season. For many of us, the constant visits to the IRS Where's My Refund site are in full swing, checking to see when our refund is going to be deposited into our bank account.

Early last year the IRS released a mobile app, allowing people to track their refund status while on the go.

From the mobile app users can track the status of their refund, view videos on the IRS YouTube channel, request old tax records, and contact the IRS directly with any questions.

To track the status of your … Read more

Feds issue strongest position yet against distracting car tech, Tesla Model X has us excited, and confounded. Is Washington state penalizing electric car drivers? And we drive the 2012 Subaru Impreza.

If your tax situation is simple (no children, don't own a home, income under $100K, and so on), then you are likely filing a 1040EZ this April. If that's the case, then you may want to think about filing your taxes right from your mobile device.

With the TurboTax SnapTax app, you can fill out your 1040EZ tax form right on your phone or tablet. The app can even enter income information using your device's camera.

Before getting started, SnapTax asks if you'd like to create an account. You can work without one, which is nice, … Read more

Intuit's TaxCaster app can quickly estimate your federal tax refund based on just a few bits of personal information. Even for the most inexperienced taxpayer, it's incredibly simple to understand and use.

At the top of the screen is a meter that displays your estimated tax refund. As you make your way through the app, it considers your answers and recalculates its estimate accordingly. And of course, the more answers you provide, the more accurate its estimate gets.

Three main tabs sit just below the meter, each housing a different category of questions: About You; Total Income; and … Read more

Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg may be on the hook for $2 billion in taxes with his company going public. But he's not necessarily all that upset about it.

As The New York Times' David Kocieniewski reports, the 27-year-old CEO plans to exercise options worth about $5 billion, and with such transactions generally being treated by the IRS as regular compensation, Zuckerberg would be liable for the $2 billion figure--perhaps one of the highest tax payouts by an individual ever.

Zuckerberg owns 413 million B shares of Facebook stock and was granted options in 2005 to buy 120 million shares … Read more

Apple earnings reach record highs, Xbox rumors ramp up, and Obama tackles energy and tech industry concerns in his State of the Union address.

Links from Wednesday's episode of Loaded:

Rep. Lamar Smith, chairman of the House Judiciary committee, proudly announced last month that Grover Norquist's Americans for Tax Reform had endorsed his controversial Stop Online Piracy Act.

Smith, a close ally of Hollywood on copyright law, cited ATR by name when saying that his bill enjoys "broad support across the aisle here in the House, across the street in the Senate and across the country." SOPA and a similar bill in the Senate called Protect IP would levy an Internet death penalty against allegedly piratical Web sites.

In the last few weeks, though, the famously combative … Read more

The second show for the year has its share of bumps, but CNET's Bridget Carey and CBS MoneyWatch's Jill Schlesinger come to save the day, while offering their insights on toys and finances.

In this 404 episode, Jill tells us how she gets fans from The 404 calling into her financial advice show, and that has her producers bewildered by the number of 20-somethings interested in some money-saving tips for things like getting married. One thing that doesn't save a lot of money is having kids. That's got Jeff excited. And it reminds Wilson that kids these days are spoiled. They want iPhones and iPads for Christmas. We remember growing up and thinking a Transformers action figure was good enough.… Read more

Amazon said it supports a federal law that would let states collect sales tax from online retailers, but only if smaller businesses are not exempt.

Paul Misener, Amazon's vice president for global public policy, yesterday expressed support for an "even-handed" method of collecting state sales taxes from Internet vendors in congressional testimony (PDF).

"Congress should authorize the states to require collection, with the great objects of protecting states' rights, addressing the states' needs, and leveling the playing field for all sellers," Misener said, according to a transcript of his testimony.

But the Amazon executive argued … Read more