Members of Congress are adept at raising their salaries but not their own taxes! Do they even know how to properly prepare their own tax returns?

Thanks to one political candidate, taxpayers are now learning about"effective tax rate". AKAS II has been writing about this topic since the TaxKits began. Recent data indicates that for much of America, the effective tax rate is zero percent.

For Tax Year 2011, there is a small but significant change to Schedule C, the form which most artists use to report their business activity. The IRS is cracking on unreported Form 1099 activity.

Paid tax preparers are also under scrutiny. Tax preparer fraud currently tops the IRS "Dirty Dozen" list. All paid tax preparers must have a Preparer Tax Identification Number and continuing education in taxation.

AKAS II never sends unsolicited e-mails and neither does the IRS. Suspicious emails claiming to be from the IRS should be reported through this link.

Learn more about AKAS II and find out what the artists have to say about it! Then check out the TaxKit author's own artwork, selected reviews of her work, and her current endeavors such as The Marjorie Lawrence Project.

Thank you for your support! Your questions and comments are most appreciated at akasii@aol.com.