Spidell's Tax Season Tribune

When those cravings just have to be satisfied

Sandy Weiner, J.D.
California Editor

We all know what it's like when in the 14th hour of the sixth day straight of working on returns, that craving hits. It doesn't matter what time of day or how far the closest store/restaurant is ... when it's that time, you have to have it. For me it's usually a hot fudge sundae or chips, or both. But for the engineers on the cross country team from Rennselaer Polytechnic Institute finishing up a week of competitions in Albany, New York, it had to be Chick-fil-A.¹

Never mind that it appeared that the closest Chick-fil-A was 1½ hours away. The engineers from Rennselaer were far too ingenious to be put off by that minor technicality. It turns out, there was a closer Chick-fil-A at the Albany Airport. Never mind it was on the other side of the TSA checkpoint. Using their keen problem solving abilities, they pooled $5.50 each and bought the cheapest ticket they could find for a flight flying out of Albany ... a one-way $98 ticket to Fort Lauderdale.

That enabled one of the teammates to get through the TSA security. And although he didn't enjoy the sunny beaches of Ft. Lauderdale, on his return trip out of the Albany airport, his teammates enjoyed 15 Chick-fil-A sandwiches, 156 nuggets, 15 large fries, a bag of cookies, and one lemonade (really, just one lemonade?).

So when those cravings hit, don't let a minor obstacle get in your way. Just let your problem solving skills take off until you too can land a solution.

¹ https://kson.radio.com/blogs/amber/college-students-buy-flight-to-get-chick-fil-a

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Don't skimp on the property manager

Mike Giangrande, J.D., LL.M.
Federal Tax Editor

In a recent horror story from the news, a Colorado rental property owner was forced to undertake an eviction herself when two squatters refused to move out.¹ She had to hire an attorney, go to court, and jump through Colorado's legal hoops. It took the property owner two months to remove the squatters, all while they were running amok in her property.

Once the squatters were finally removed, the owner had the unfortunate task of personally cleaning up piles of dirty underwear, dishes, a live snake, and various toys of an elicit nature. That's just nasty!

This is exactly why I tell my clients to hire a property manager. I have too many clients who think a property manager is not worth the extra money. These same clients often have long-term tenants who are paying less than fair rental value, they haven't seen the inside of their property in who knows how long, and they have terrible bookkeeping records.

I love the rental property horror stories in the news because I use them to convince clients like this that they need a property manager. Property managers allow your client to avoid awkward tenant confrontations, such as rent increase discussions, avoid doing the hard labor themselves of keeping their property out of disrepair, and also ensure that rent is always collected on time.

¹ https://nypost.com/2020/02/21/disgusting-squatters-leave-behind-underwear-a-snake-and-sex-toys/

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AB 5: More proposed exemptions and a repeal

Lynn Freer, EA
President

A few more bills were introduced that seek to expand the exemptions under AB 5:

AB 1850 (Gonzalez): Would revise the criteria for the professional services exemption for still photographers, photojournalists, freelance writers, editors, and newspaper journalists;
AB 2979 (Voepel): Would expand professional services exemption to include interpreters and translators (including court interpreters);
AB 3136 (Voepel): Would expand specified occupations exemption to include certified shorthand reporters;
AB 3185 (Lackey): Would expand specified occupations exemption to include referees or umpires working for independent youth sports organizations;
AB 3281 (Brough): Would expand the business-to-business exemption to cover contracts with contracting businesses that are sole proprietors or limited partnerships; and
SB 806 (Grove): Would repeal AB 5 and adopt a more flexible worker classification. Click here to view this bill.

If you need more information on Dynamex and AB 5, attend Spidell's 2020 Post-Tax Season Update and Review Seminar. Click here for more information and registration details.

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A few fun facts about this week's writers:

Sandy Weiner, J.D., as California editor, loves all things California. Whether it's hiking at Big Sur or playing at the beach in San Diego where she lives, Sandy takes full advantage of all that California has to offer as a way to clear her head after trying to comprehend and explain California's Revenue & Taxation Code.

Mike Giangrande, J.D., LL.M., is an Orange County native, and you can find him doing some backyard gardening, playing with his 3 kids, or daydreaming about tee-time while he's answering Message Board questions.

Lynn Freer, EA, is a French literature major, so of course her favorite vacation destination is France. Here she is dining on mussels and fish stew near Nice.

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