This series will outline some of the most insane ways people have legally avoided paying taxes. Remember, these posts are just to give you a glimpse into the sometimes odd thinking of the US Tax Court, not to give you any ideas on how to get out of your taxes.
First up we have Justin Rohrs, a man who slid his truck off an embankment, totaled his car, and was charged with driving under the influence. After being denied his insurance claim of $33,629, Rohrs attempted to deduct the loss of his vehicle from his taxes. He was originally denied, but somehow the US Tax Court decided that Rohrs’ deserved a casualty loss deduction for his truck. According to tax law, if an accident was not caused by your own willful negligence or actions, the costs from the accident are a valid deduction. Somehow, a judge was convinced that drunk driving was not acting with negligence – moral of the story, don’t think you will be able to convince any other judge of the same. If you have tax trouble, contact our office at 816-524-4949 or check out our website at Hoorfarlaw.com.