by Ted Cushman
No one likes paying taxes. But since
everyone has to, the world is full of
organizations and publications devoted
to helping taxpayers with their life's
least pleasant work.
This month's featured books aren't
geared toward helping you actually file
your return. Instead, they aim to help
you keep your tax obligation down,
stay out of tax trouble, and, if the
worst happens, minimize the pain of a
close encounter with the IRS.
Of the 25 chapters in Michael
Thomsett's Contractor's Year-
Round Tax Guide, only one
(Chapter 19) actually deals with
filing returns. As Thomsett puts
it, "Your income tax return . . .
simply reports the results of the
planning you've done. . . . The
real