Woman Sues IRS Over Denial Of Tax Deduction For Sex Change Operation

[JBean]

"It certainly IS a deformity if you are trapped in a body of the wrong sex."




But it is not a medical necessity. It took this person almost 40 years from adulthood to figure out they were trapped in the wrong body?

I am all for somebody changing sexes althought I think its ridiculous they do it at such a late stage in their life, but to expect it to be tax deductible is not reasonable.

These people deal with this their whole lives. It certainly isn't easy to decide to chop off your penis. I think it takes a certain level of maturity and self confidence to go through with this surgery.
I am not sure it is an easy decision to make at any stage in life.My guess would be it takes a good part of one's life time to realize that this what needs to be done.
As I said before, this surgery is not taken lightly and those that go through with it are the real deal.
JMHO of course.

 

[Nocgirl]

If for some reason this person wins the lawsuit, that will open up a whole new door for even more outrageous requests.

What about the guy on death row that wants a sex change? He wants tax payers to pay for it. I still say no to this because he has a very limited life expectancy, and it will open up even more doors for inmates to suck more money out of tax payers pockets for silly requests.

 

[JBean]

If for some reason this person wins the lawsuit, that will open up a whole new door for even more outrageous requests.

What about the guy on death row that wants a sex change? He wants tax payers to pay for it. I still say no to this because he has a very limited life expectancy, and it will open up even more doors for inmates to suck more money out of tax payers pockets for silly requests.

I am not sure if tax court would set a precedent on prison inmate sex change requests. But maybe it could, don't know.
This is apples and oranges, IMO. She doesn't want anyone to pay for her surgery.

 

[Nova]

"It certainly IS a deformity if you are trapped in a body of the wrong sex."




But it is not a medical necessity. It took this person almost 40 years from adulthood to figure out they were trapped in the wrong body?

I am all for somebody changing sexes althought I think its ridiculous they do it at such a late stage in their life, but to expect it to be tax deductible is not reasonable.

I'm sure it didn't take her 40 years to figure it out. It just took her 40 years to work up the nerve. Very few children or even young adults have $25K for sex reassignment surgery, so they are forced to live as the "wrong" sex.

The longer you do that, the harder it is to change. EVERY SINGLE PERSON YOU KNOW will react strongly to such a change, and the majority will drop you, either deliberately and immediately, or slowly as they realize you are not the person they once loved.

This fact alone should remind us that sex reassignment is not some casual choice made on a whim.

As for the tax deduction being "unreasonable," I can only assume you believe minority persons should have fewer rights than you do.

 

[Nova]

If for some reason this person wins the lawsuit, that will open up a whole new door for even more outrageous requests.

What about the guy on death row that wants a sex change? He wants tax payers to pay for it. I still say no to this because he has a very limited life expectancy, and it will open up even more doors for inmates to suck more money out of tax payers pockets for silly requests.

I have no problem denying public funds to a death row inmate who wants a sex change. But to argue that this woman should be penalized for fear some future court will find her case a "precedent" is the worst sort of discrimination.

 

[Rino]

JBean,

No offense I was just curious you stated it a few times - sorry about any confusion..

They are. As you so eloquently demonstrate with the rest of your post:

Um, you could have just answered an honest question smartie :innocent: ,I looked it up- NO

What can't I deduct from my taxes?

Not allowed are: health club dues, nutritional supplements, over the counter appetite suppressants, low fat foods, and exercise equipment.
Liposuction is also not included as it is regarded as cosmetic surgery

Again disagreeing does not mean ingnorant. BTW, I am cool with it, stick it to the man and all that

 

[Nova]

JBean,

No offense I was just curious you stated it a few times - sorry about any confusion..



Um, you could have just answered an honest question smartie :innocent: ,I looked it up- NO

What can't I deduct from my taxes?

Not allowed are: health club dues, nutritional supplements, over the counter appetite suppressants, low fat foods, and exercise equipment.
Liposuction is also not included as it is regarded as cosmetic surgery

Again disagreeing does not mean ingnorant. BTW, I am cool with it, stick it to the man and all that

Emphasis added: we agree on that much! :crazy:

I'm sorry, rino, I thought your question was rhetorical and you were equating liposuction with sex reassignment surgery. That would be ridiculous.

I didn't realize you were honestly trying to clarify how the tax codes work.

Entirely my bad.

 

[JBean]

JBean,

No offense I was just curious you stated it a few times - sorry about any confusion..

snipped

I stated it a few times because the posts I responded to said the same thing a few times..

 

[lizzybeth]

Sometimes it does take years for someone to have the nerve to go ahead with sex reassignment surgery. For several reasons, they feel it will be selfish because it would hurt those that love them; it's costly and the doctors make you go through all types of hoops, which they should. It's not something someone does on a whim.
I have a dear friend that at the age of twenty-seven decided that he could either end his life or become what he thought he was born to be. He went through extensive testing, physical and psychological. I had a difficult time with it at first but I remind myself that no matter what the outside looks like the inside is still the same. She's lost a few friends. She knows now though who the people are that loved her for who she was and she found out that even though her parents felt like they were losing their only son (she's also an only child) that they gained a daughter. A daughter that is much happier and easier to get along with than their son. So maybe my opinion on this is biased. I'm anxious to see how this all turns out for this woman and the IRS.

 

[JBean]

Sometimes it does take years for someone to have the nerve to go ahead with sex reassignment surgery. For several reasons, they feel it will be selfish because it would hurt those that love them; it's costly and the doctors make you go through all types of hoops, which they should. It's not something someone does on a whim.
I have a dear friend that at the age of twenty-seven decided that he could either end his life or become what he thought he was born to be. He went through extensive testing, physical and psychological. I had a difficult time with it at first but I remind myself that no matter what the outside looks like the inside is still the same. She's lost a few friends. She knows now though who the people are that loved her for who she was and she found out that even though her parents felt like they were losing their only son (she's also an only child) that they gained a daughter. A daughter that is much happier and easier to get along with than their son. So maybe my opinion on this is biased. I'm anxious to see how this all turns out for this woman and the IRS.

Thanks for posting that. Really helpful info,IMO.

 

[gman20001969]

I don't mean to make light of this subject.... ok I actually do! Let's say I work in the adult film industry. Let's say over the years, new guys have an edge on me due to my age, health, etc. So I go get surgery. Should I be able to get a tax deduction for that? I don't think so! Same thing here in my eyes.

 

[JBean]

I don't mean to make light of this subject.... ok I actually do! Let's say I work in the adult film industry. Let's say over the years, new guys have an edge on me due to my age, health, etc. So I go get surgery. Should I be able to get a tax deduction for that? I don't think so! Same thing here in my eyes.

How in the world is that the same thing?
Are you describing a diagnosed disorder like this lady? Oldmanitis-ED?..lol.

 

[Details]

All this lady gets refunded is 5k of the taxes she has paid during the year by writing off these expenses.
There are so many different writeoffs ,bogus and otherwise.
Just to clarify she has paid for this surgery herself., She is not asking for assistance.
She is just trying to not pay taxes on 25 k of her income.Like writing off autmobile expenses.

Taxes that are written off are paid by others, one way or another. It becomes part of our deficit. She didn't stop using 5k worth of government services. Taxes are what pays for our military, pays for the roads, pays for welfare, pays for schools - this is real money that has to be made up somewhere. Is this really who we should be handing it out to? And, obviously - I'm not convinced this is a medical necessity - not at the same level that a hairlip, a back problem, a heart condition is a medical necessity.

Just because there are bogus writeoffs doesn't mean we should add another.

 

[JBean]

Taxes that are written off are paid by others, one way or another. It becomes part of our deficit. She didn't stop using 5k worth of government services. Taxes are what pays for our military, pays for the roads, pays for welfare, pays for schools - this is real money that has to be made up somewhere. Is this really who we should be handing it out to? And, obviously - I'm not convinced this is a medical necessity - not at the same level that a hairlip, a back problem, a heart condition is a medical necessity.

Just because there are bogus writeoffs doesn't mean we should add another.

Completely disagree. Wasn't implying it bogus. I think it is 100% legit and reasonable and that is what the writeoffs are for.

 

[SewingDeb]

Details,
I agree with you. it will cost us all down the road if this kind of deduction is allowed. I would rather have my taxes raised to build more prisons if I had my druthers.

 

[Rino]

I don't mean to make light of this subject.... ok I actually do! Let's say I work in the adult film industry. Let's say over the years, new guys have an edge on me due to my age, health, etc. So I go get surgery. Should I be able to get a tax deduction for that? I don't think so! Same thing here in my eyes.

Maybe, work related expenses that are not re-imbersed are sometimes deductable. But why do something so drastic? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hD5hTDR2fSI

 

[Details]

Completely disagree. Wasn't implying it bogus. I think it is 100% legit and reasonable and that is what the writeoffs are for.

I'm the one implying it is bogus, yes. I was just responding to where you seemed to be saying that it's her money anyway (which it isn't - taxes have a very real purpose.

 

[JBean]

I'm the one implying it is bogus, yes. I was just responding to where you seemed to be saying that it's her money anyway (which it isn't - taxes have a very real purpose.

I am in favor of taxes. They are a necessary evil. I have no problem paying the piper and I do.
IMO, it is her money.Write offs worked to our benefit and are intended to be used. If the write off is honored, then it is her money. In this case it went back to her as a refund due to overpayment of taxes on her part.

Since I am of the opinion it is a legit expense, I see it as her money.
Since you do not see it as a legit expense, you see it as tax money owed.
That's the difference.

 

[Nova]

Taxes that are written off are paid by others, one way or another. It becomes part of our deficit. She didn't stop using 5k worth of government services. Taxes are what pays for our military, pays for the roads, pays for welfare, pays for schools - this is real money that has to be made up somewhere. Is this really who we should be handing it out to? And, obviously - I'm not convinced this is a medical necessity - not at the same level that a hairlip, a back problem, a heart condition is a medical necessity.

Just because there are bogus writeoffs doesn't mean we should add another.

Emphasis added.

Certain minorities are expected to pay more than their share of taxes while receiving less than their share of benefits from those taxes. And certain posters are quite comfortable with the inequity.

Such a system is so obviously unfair, one is forced to conclude that some people just want the tax system to reflect their own prejudices.

Medical expenses, including treatment of psychological needs, are already deductible. There is already a system in place to determine whether sex reassignment surgery is medically necessary; as others have pointed out, it isn't undertaken or performed on a whim.

This one is a no brainer.

 

[Details]

Emphasis added.

Certain minorities are expected to pay more than their share of taxes while receiving less than their share of benefits from those taxes. And certain posters are quite comfortable with the inequity.

Such a system is so obviously unfair, one is forced to conclude that some people just want the tax system to reflect their own prejudices.

Medical expenses, including treatment of psychological needs, are already deductible. There is already a system in place to determine whether sex reassignment surgery is medically necessary; as others have pointed out, it isn't undertaken or performed on a whim.

This one is a no brainer.

???? I'm not getting what you are trying to say? This individual certainly wasn't paying more than her fair share, nor was she underprivileged in the benefits department - I can see nothing where she was out of the ordinary on this at all. The middle class, and upper-middle classes pay more in taxes than they take out, those living hand to mouth do the opposite - and this is precisely as it should be. Taxes should come from those with more, more than from those with less.

Medically necessary - that is where I don't see it. Before gender reassignment surgery was around, people with this issue don't seem to have had such a problem. Insurance companies don't pay for it. Those who can't afford it somehow muddle through without. And I've maybe known too much about some who have had it - I'm not convinced at all that this surgery helps them, long term, or is necessary.

There is that prisoner who is trying to get the state to pay for their surgery, and most people are saying, no way. I think if we wouldn't do it for a prisoner, it's not medically necessary. It's a bonus, a luxury. It's a boob job, a nose job, orthodontia.

The choice is - would I rather have her get this deduction, or have taxes even a little lower on the low income brackets, and I think it's more important to have taxes lower on low income brackets. This is clearly a borderline case, and I'd put it on the other side of the border, since there are a lot of competing interests I consider more deserving.