Newsmakers meet New Yorkers as host Brian Lehrer and his guests take on the issues dominating conversation in New York and around the world. This daily program from WNYC Studios cuts through the usual talk radio punditry and brings a smart, humane approach to the day's events and what matters most in local and national politics, our own communities and our lives. WNYC Studios is a listener-supported producer of other leading podcasts including Radiolab, On the Media, Death, Sex & Money, Nancy, and many others.
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Get Your Taxes Done Without Getting Scammed
Just hypothetically, let’s say you haven’t filed your taxes yet. They’re due April 18th -- you’ve got less than a month to go. And if you plan to download TaxAct or TurboTax, maybe think again: the U.S. Government Accountability Office estimates that fifty percent of self-prepared tax returns contain at least one error.
But what about the other option -- say you follow those waving green flags, or the person on the corner in a Statue of Liberty costume, and pay a professional to do your taxes. Well, the GAO found that sixty percent of returns done by a paid preparer had an error.
So when it comes to filing taxes, does anyone know what they’re doing?
Ben Steverman, personal finance writer for Bloomberg, guides us through the do's and don'ts of getting your taxes done, within your budget and without getting hustled.