Business Assistant/Business Assistant.iso/tax/tax-c/tax.doc

Text File | 1991-11-13 | 27KB | 848 lines

TAX-C V1.0, Early Release 11-1-91
Shareware Version
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                                                                            │
└──────────────────────────────────(C) 1991, Gary L. Bockmon─────────────────┘





                              TABLE OF CONTENTS











     INTRODUCTION .......................... 1


     GENERAL INFORMATION ................... 3


     GETTING STARTED ....................... 5


     QUICK START ........................... 6


     ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ................ 7

           Windows.................  7
           Report..................  8
           Worksheets.............. 11

     COPYRIGHT NOTICE ..................... 12


     WARRANTY ............................. 12


     REGISTERING TAX-C .................... 12


















page 1

INTRODUCTION

     TAX-C resulted from  a desire for a more intuitive income tax

     program.  Our ultimate goal is to produce an income tax program

     that will be as simple as possible and still provide the

     information you need to make tax filing easier and to help you

     save money on your tax bill.


     If it were possible to write a tax program for each individual,

     this goal could be easily achieved.  However, economics dictates

     that a program serve as wide a range of taxpayers as possible, and

     the task becomes more difficult.  To provide all the information

     you might possibly need for every circumstance clutters the screen

     as it confuses your mind.  Attempts have been made to provide you

     with the information you need when and only if you need it, with

     pop-up worksheets, windows, and modular information files.


     TAX-C is the first version of a program that will continue to

     grow and serve a wider range of taxpayers.  The plan is to

     give you as much information as you may need behind the scene

     and to simplify as much as possible the calculations you would

     ordinarily have to make.  Future versions of TAX-C will contain

     the basic forms A,B,C,D,E,EIC,F,R, 2441,4562,8814,8815 and some

     others and will make more calculations for you, such as the

     allowable amount of your IRA deduction, taxable amount of your

     pension distribution, among others.  Beyond that, additional

     forms and worksheets will be put in modular form so that you

     receive as much relevant information as possible only if needed.



     More information and tax-saving hints are included with the

     instructions you will receive when you register your copy of

     TAX-C.





page 2

     The key to saving money on your tax bill is in your understanding

     the effects various transactions have on your taxes.  When

     you can see the big picture, you can more easily grasp the

     tax implications of your financial life, to see the truth

     behind the rumor; and with understanding comes a desire to

     become more personally involved in the financial aspects of

     your life.  It is this involvement which will improve your

     financial picture.


     TAX-C can help you see that big picture  with the F1 report

     screen.  It provides you with an immediate summary of all entries

     any time you want to see them.  A more detailed explanation of

     F1 report is included later in this file.


     Tax simplification is a worthy goal of the current IRS admin-

     istration and we applaud their efforts.  But don't expect to

     see too much simplification in our tax laws without tax fairness

     being sacrificed.  A just system will always be a compromise

     between fairness and simplification.  You will always need

     complete and objective tax and financial information to

     structure your financial life to your advantage.


     This program is DESQview aware; it can be run within the

     DESQview environment.


     This project would not have been possible without the

     assistance of James L. Pinson in his book, "Designing

     Screen Interfaces in C", Yourdon Press, 1991, Prentice-Hall,

     and the dedication and support of my wife, Carla.











page 3

GENERAL INFORMATION

     TAX-C is an early release version of form 1040, Sch A & B, and

     contains the latest released information from the IRS.  Release

     date is November 1, 1991.  To obtain the official version in

     January, 1992, you must register.  See REGISTERING, this file.



     TAX-C will print a transfer version of the IRS form 1040, and

     prints an IRS-approved version of Schedules A & B.


     There are entry fields for all information required on the

     1040 and the printed 1040 corresponds line-by-line to the

     IRS 1040 for ease of transfer.  However, please note that

     the screen line numbers will not exactly match the 1040.

     That is because all line item totals have been placed behind

     the scene, to give you a quick-glance summary on the F1 report.


     For an immediate update on the status of your return, press

     F1 for the summary report screen.  Press F1 from any screen

     and use it often to see how various entries affect your entire

     return.  Becoming familiar with the tax effects of various

     financial transactions is the key to effective tax planning.


     All on-screen page number references are to the IRS  instruc-

     tions that come with your 1040 from the IRS.  Included with

     the registered version of TAX-C is a line-by-line instruction

     manual with helpful information and tax-saving hints.


     The income tax calculation provided with TAX-C should prove

     accurate up to 10,000,000 and accounts for the new special

     provisions, such as:

       1. Maximum 28% rate on LONG TERM capital gains.

       2. Phase-out of exemptions at high AGI.

       3. Phase-out of itemized deductions at high AGI.



page 4


     If your situation calls for form 8814, "Parent's Election

     to Report Child's Interest and Dividends", or form  8615,

     "Computation of Tax for Children Under Age 14 Who Have

     Investment Income of More than $1,000", TAX-C will not

     calculate this for you.  These forms will be included in

     future versions and may be available in the registered

     version this year.


     If you file a Schedule D for 1991, you will be calculating the

     tax on the Schedule D if the maximum capital gains rate applies,

     but TAX-C should agree with this calculation, and you may still

     use TAX-C.  Use TAX-C with any combination of forms by entering

     the appropriate amounts, but TAX-C will only print 1040, A, & B.


     If you wish to apply your refund to 1992 taxes, or calculate a

     penalty, you'll have to manually apply this information to your

     1040.  TAX-C doesn't offer you these options.


     All dollar entries are automatically checked for validity and

     rounded to the nearest dollar.


     TAX-C does not add commas, and will not accept them.  I apologize for

     not getting this feature in.  I prefer the comma format.


     Special Features:

       Calculates the taxable amount of your social security benefits.

       Calculates the amount of any self-employed health insurance
       premiums allowed as an adjustment on the 1040, and applies the
       excess to SchA medical expenses.

       Calculates the standard deduction for an individual who can
       be claimed as a dependent by someone else.











page 5

     Other Features:

       Your standard deduction is automatically calculated and compared
       to your itemized deductions and the larger amount used.

       Error checking warns if you have checked inappropriate boxes,
       entered an invalid number, or e