Because the consumer did not have to pay the amount, it is income in the eyes of the IRS.

It used to be, if you sold your main residence, you had to either pay tax on the gain or buy another home that cost more than the home you sold. Because the rules have changed, you no longer have to worry about that gain.

The first thing you should do is to not panic. Sometimes they are just looking for a very specific thing, and if you give them what they are looking for it's no big deal. Just give the IRS what it wants and do it as fast as you can. That way it'll be over fast.

I'm not thinking [the accelerated tax rate reductions] would have a huge impact. They always like to say it's an economic stimulus package because they want to give the illusion that the economy is recovering that people will have more money. But it's only a small drop in the tax rates and I don't think in the grand scheme of things most taxpayers are really going to notice it.

It's pretty common for people not to consider all the things they can deduct. They don't realize that maybe they have a vacation home and they don't take the interest because they think they can't.

If you're getting a refund, you'll get that refund sooner.