Real Music & Real Estate . . .

Yiddishe Cup’s bandleader, Bert Stratton, is Klezmer Guy.
 

He knows about the band biz and – check this out – the real estate biz, too.
 

You may not care about the real estate biz. Hey, you may not care about the band biz. (See you.)
 

This is a blog with a gamy twist. It features tenants with snakes and skunks, and musicians with smoked fish in their pockets.
 

Stratton has written op-eds for the Wall Street Journal, New York Times and Washington Post.


 
 

MY SON AND THE IRS

 

My younger son, Jack, got a certified letter from the IRS with a hand-written Post-it note on it.  What did the gobierno want?  The government usually sends unsigned computer-generated letters.   Maybe Jack the Drummer Boy owed another $15 from his Michigan Wolverines basketball band income.  (Jack was in college at the time.)

Why didn’t the IRS pick on me, instead? I wanted to be audited. I haven’t been audited since 1982. Thirty-three years of saving bills and income/expense statements and checks — and nobody wants to see it.  Yes, I throw the stuff out periodically, but I replenish.

irs and jackJack told the IRS he made money as a camp counselor and playing gigs.  He said his dad paid for college.  Jack later told me, “The auditor was impressed you were footing the out-of-state tuition.”

Thank you.  No penalty.  (Jack got a $68 credit.)

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6 comments

1 don friedman { 03.18.15 at 12:39 pm }

The IRS absolutely hates to ‘lose’ an audit. Our secret police (bureaucratic tyrants) had to give me a $600 refund in ’89. What a pleasure that was for me. They are so underhanded, oops, I mean understaffed now.

A good tax revolt would be for citizens to not file electronically. It helps the secret police too much. I think 20,000 pages of rules, regulations, and penalty threats is a bit over the top.

2 Marc { 03.18.15 at 4:07 pm }

My son Jonathan won $100,000 on TBS King of the Nerds last episode which aired last Friday night. I couldn’t watch until motze Shabbos. You can watch episode 8 season 3 on Youtube.

3 Bert Stratton { 03.18.15 at 5:54 pm }

To Marc,

Mazel tov on your son’s winnings.

On theme: Don’t forget, the IRS is going to take about a third. And let’s not forget, additionally California state tax (assuming the show is from Cali).

4 Ken Goldberg { 03.18.15 at 11:06 pm }

Bert – May I remind everyone your son didn’t do too badly on the game show, either….

5 Ken Goldberg { 03.19.15 at 9:54 am }

I could contact the IRS and tell them you’re anxious to get audited this year. Okay?

6 Marc { 04.08.15 at 1:29 pm }

Ken, its very sad. The IRS has tightened the budget and they are not able to do many audits anymore.

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