taxes

Tax season isn’t fun for anyone. While filing your taxes means digging through shoeboxes of receipts, guessing at what number goes on which line and and pounding your head against real or imaginary walls, it can be even worse. Luckily there are a few great apps that can help ease the frustration of tax time. This year, let your phone save you some irritation — and maybe even some money.

Much like cigarettes and alcohol are taxed, there is a movement afoot to levy similar charges on soda and other sweetened beverages.

The good news is that 67 percent of Americans expect to to get a refund from the IRS this year. The bad news is that much of this money is going to be spent taking care of other debts, rather than be used for something fun.

Tax day is right around the corner — but that doesn’t mean we’ll all pay our fair share. An IRS survey last year found the percentage of people who thought it was acceptable to cheat “as much as possible” on their returns doubled compared to 2010.

As obesity continues to plague the United States, many states have imposed a tax cost on some of the products that contribute to unhealthy weight gain, like soda. But experts believe that the current sales tax isn’t high enough to truly impact health and weight loss.

‘Jersey Shore’ doesn’t just rot brains — it drains tax coffers, too. MTV’s hit reality show, which depicts the exploits of a group of raisin-tanned 20-somethings as they live and party along the New Jersey coastline, has just had $420,000 of its 2009 production costs covered by the state’s Economic Development Authority.