With tax deadlines approaching, most Americans likely don't know that in addition to charitable donations, money for retirement, student loans, and mortgage interest, other things like cosmetic surgery , gyms and even pets, including the use of a private plane, could enjoy tax exemptions.
For a long time, the Internal Revenue Service, better known by its acronym in English, IRS, has allowed very unusual tax deductions, indicated a report in the USA Today newspaper.
The reason: the people who have benefited from them have been able to demonstrate that they were necessary or business expenses.
The tax payment date is approaching.Getty Images
One detail: in order to be converted into tax deductions, these expenses cannot be personal, the newspaper's note stated.
And a piece of advice: it is always advisable to consult with a tax specialist before asking the Government to accept as legitimate a deduction that breaks with the norm.
For years, there have been cases of tax exemptions
that
have made more than one think
.
Here are some examples:
Probably one of the most surprising cases is that of breast implants, taking into account that cosmetic surgeries – unless they are necessary as a result of an accident or operation related to a condition – are usually considered personal expenses.
However, the USA Today story revealed that a woman named Cynthia Hess, known as
Chesty Love
, who worked as an exotic dancer, prevailed in a tax case after she declared breast implants she had received in 1998 as expenses. business.
The ruling of the court that deliberated the case was clear: the implants were required as part of their job.
There is also the case of pets.
Catherine Kauffelt, head of tax compliance at Collective, an online office service, explained to USA Today that if a person has a pet just "to love and spend time with,
that animal would not be
tax deductible." ".
Animals used for emotional support also cannot be included in tax deductions, because they were not specifically trained to help a sick person.
Although the IRS considers that some expenses, such as medical expenses, service animals, can be deducted when paying taxes.
Still, Samuel Seawright, owner of a car scrapping business, received a $300 deduction for food he had purchased for some cats.
His argument: the expense was part of his business because it was necessary to feed them so that the cats were in business and kept rats and snakes away from the place.
Other examples of unusual deductions are those linked to
gyms and private planes
.
In 1990, John and Joanna French won a case to deduct their private plane travel from their 1984 taxes.
The couple, who lived in San Jose, California, made trips to manage, advertise and rent their condo in Mammoth Lakes, California.
Flying on the plane saved them a journey of more than five hours by road.
The court considered that, indeed, the trips fell within his business expenses.
The same is true if someone goes to a gym to train because their doctor has told them to do so "to alleviate or prevent a physical or mental disability or illness," the IRS said.
And finally, there is the case of the military, who can deduct from their taxes the expenses they incur to take their belongings to a new home.
In this case, your pets
are treated the same from a tax perspective
, the IRS added.