Half a croissant, on a plate, with a sign in front of it saying '50c'
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Receipt Club

to facilitate tax fraud
  (+5, -2)
(+5, -2)
  [vote for,
against]

In the U.S., many self-employed or freelance workers are able to deduct some costs, generally incurred in the course of doing their jobs, from their income taxes. If you are, say, a video technician, you may be able to legitimately deduct the cost of seeing a movie (hey, you gotta keep up with the latest developments in the industry). Such costs are evidenced by receipts, copies of which are presented with your tax filing.

The club consists of people in different lines of work. So a carpenter could swap a receipt for gasoline with a traveling salesman who happened to buy some items at a hardware store. Not a great example, but you get the idea. Receipts could just be pooled, with a record kept of the names, types and values of contributions. You can’t take out a receipt valued at more than your contributions.

Downside: very illegal, I would think.

snarfyguy, Feb 06 2002

[link]






       These would all have to be cash receipts, I assume, as credit card receipts would have your name on them.
TeaTotal, Feb 06 2002
  

       Yep.
snarfyguy, Feb 06 2002
  

       OK, so what are you really driving at, snarfy? Short a few receipts?
thumbwax, Feb 07 2002
  

       There wouldn't be anything illegal about the club itself, unless it billed itself as a way to cheat on taxes. It would be using the traded receipts that would be illegal. You can bet the IRS would be very interested in the membership list for the club.
phoenix, Feb 07 2002
  

       [thumbwax]: I'm currently unemployed. My freelance friend, though, is always scrounging around for receipts (to the point of snatching them out of my hand when I buy something), which gave me the idea.   

       [phoenix]: Yeah, it's supposed to be secret (so stop talking about it on the internet!). ; p
snarfyguy, Feb 07 2002
  

       i'm pretty sure this is baked but since the club is so secretive i couldn't tell you by whom.   

       tax evasion will land you in hot water. it's tax avoidance that you want to strive for.
mihali, Feb 07 2002
  

       // Yeah, it's supposed to be secret (so stop talking about it on the internet!). //   

       The first rule of the Receipt Club: you don't talk about the Receipt Club.
waugsqueke, Feb 07 2002
  

       Stick your receipts into the prepaid postal envelopes that come with soliciations (Assuming as I am, you're not going to net that much in tax savings anyway); send them off to whatever mass mailer you prefer, and after sufficient time for processing and handling, turn that mailer in for tax fraud. --With respectful mention of the latest email concerning a way to get even with mass mailers.
reensure, Feb 07 2002
  

       I need a dinner receipts for close to $150 dated prior to 7/1/2003 and after 4/11/2003. Please help. ny4pla_ent@hotmail.com
craig2, Jul 01 2003
  

       those dates are dodgy, craig lad.
po, Jul 01 2003
  

       No, I think they're okay; he just wrote them in a confusing way.
snarfyguy, Jul 01 2003
  

       so he wants a receipt before January 03 and after November 03? why, has he got em all in the 11 months between?
po, Jul 01 2003
  

       Oh, my mistake then, maybe. In the U.S. we read it month/day/year. What a pesky thing to not agree on!   

       I thought he meant between April 11th and July 1st.
snarfyguy, Jul 01 2003
  

       hi all,Just discovered this site tonite. I love it! I am a tradesman, (phone wire installer) But I also, do a lot of home improvement, cooking, Automotive repair, and other things. I get a lot of receipts! Sure wish I could be an envirrmentalist and find a way of recycling all that paper.
flipmstr2, Jul 24 2003
  

       I like the idea. It's clever and I see it as far less an offense to society than is the trading of pollution credits between industrial companies (in the US, at least).
bristolz, Oct 16 2004
  
      
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