Listserv Review Service v1n01, "FEDTAX-L" (November 4, 1991)
URL: ftp://ftp.lib.ncsu.edu/pub/stacks/lrs/lrs-v1n01
LISTSERV REVIEW SERVICE
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Vol. 1, No. 1 FEDTAX-L 04 NOV 1991
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Copyright 1991. Raleigh C. Muns (BITNET: SRCMUNS@UMSLVMA.BITNET)
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The following short review is meant as an introduction to the list FEDTAX-L
and should not be construed as a rigorous analysis of the list. Opinions
expressed are solely those of the author and do not represent the views of
any organization with which the author is affiliated.
SYNOPSIS OF ONE WEEK'S ACTIVITY -
Name of list reviewed: FEDTAX-L
Location: LISTSERV@SHSU.EDU
Owner: Sam Houston State University
Period Monitored: 18 OCT 1991 to 25 OCT 1991
Messages Posted: 36
Number of Queries Posted: 12 (33%)
Number of Responses Posted: 24 (67%)
Lines Sent (w/ headers): 1808 (app. 90 screens of 20 lines)
Lines Sent (w/o headers): 1232 (app. 61 screens of 20 lines)
REVIEW -
Anyone who would seriously take tax advice from a public forum
deserves what they get. This list is not a substitute for a tax
specialist. That mandatory caveat given, the range of freely
dispensed tax advice tendered on FEDTAX-L is extensive. Most
questions, and their subsequent responses, involve esoteric
interpretations of specific federal tax situations.
Subjects covered during the week monitored included avoiding
inheritance taxes, claiming tips, the ubiquitous capital gains
distribution problems, and a rousing (and still continuing)
sequence of messages pointing out that married people pay more
in taxes to the IRS than unwed partners pay.
A message from Colleen Wirth (WIRTHC@PORTNOY.SDSC.EDU) on 25 OCT
1991 summed up the list's responses to the "married vs. single"
topic thus: married partners, where both work, pay between $800
and $2000 per year more than do single partners; over a 20 year
marriage, an average of an extra $28,000 is thus given to the IRS
(an organization for which an almost universal disgust is
unsurprisingly evinced throughout the postings on the list).
SUGGESTED USES FOR LIST -
1) Instructors of tax courses could monitor FEDTAX-L
in order to develop real world questions for students
to tackle. Issues and problems too new to be well covered
by the tax literature are regularly discussed.
2) Due to the high response rate to queries, FEDTAX-L is a
good list for floating your own thorny tax questions.
Don't take the advice, but use the information as a
stepping-stone for further research. Expect answers.
3) The list has high entertainment value as libertarians
and career capitalists tee off on Uncle Sam. The U.S.
Government's tax policies and the IRS are regularly
slammed by people who seem to know what they're talking
about. Nothing may change but you might feel better!
SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION -
Send an e-mail message with blank subject line to:
LISTSERV@SHSU.EDU
Message should consist solely of:
SUBSCRIBE FEDTAX-L your_name
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Raleigh C. Muns (Reference Librarian)
Thomas Jefferson Library, University of Missouri, St. Louis
8001 Natural Bridge Road
St. Louis, MO 63121
(314) 553-5059