Twin Tax Terror!

My boyfriend's twin brother is ripping me off for tax prep

By Amy Kean and John D. Schwartz


Q: DEAR AMY VS. JOHN:  Recently, I was at a bar with my boyfriend and his twin brother. The topic of taxes came up because my boyfriend's twin brother just happens to be an accountant. I was complaining about how much I hate doing my taxes. "I'd rather die than do my taxes; it's such torture! I'm so disorganized and I can never find all my receipts and W-2 forms," I whined. My boyfriend's brother asked, "Why don't you just use an accountant?" I explained that I definitely can't afford an accountant right now, since I'm a freelance graphic designer and I made under $33,000 last year. So he responded, "Don't worry--I'd be happy to do your taxes for you." I was ecstatic! I brought my stuff to his office a few days later, and he e-mailed me that he'd submitted my taxes. THEN...I get a bill from his office for $500 for "tax preparation"! Assuming it was just a mistake, I called him up. To my horror, he sounded kind of annoyed, "I don't know why you thought I'd do your taxes for free; it was a lot of work. The best I can do is give you a couple of extra months to pay your bill." I hung up--FURIOUS! And my boyfriend sided with him. "It's only 500 bucks--just pay him." Now I'm even angrier. My boyfriend knows I don't have any extra cash. I don't think I should have to pay, but I'm not sure how to handle it.

(submitted by Taxtab     summarized above)




A: AMY:  DON'T PAY! I can't believe this obnoxious twin accountant. What a rude jerk?! And your "boyfriend" is a jerk too. When he found out that his brother sent you a bill, he should've called him up and told him off. Obviously you wouldn't have agreed to have him do your taxes unless you believed it was a FAVOR. After all, wasn't he listening at the bar when you explained that you "can't afford an accountant"? If he wasn't, that's his problem, not yours. Your biggest mistake was not confronting him when you had him on the phone. You should've blurted out, "This is awkward--because I appreciate your hard work--but I thought you were doing my taxes for free...and I can't pay you." But you wimped out. So now he thinks he's doing you a big favor by giving you a couple of extra months to pay? PUHLEASE! Send him a simple note explaining that you won't be paying. If you receive any more bills from his office, just tear them up. And if your "boyfriend" tries to pressure you to pay up, just say, "He's your damn brother--why don't you pay him?" Don't give in--you're in the right here.  



JOHN:  I'm so glad that you sent in this question because it's such a perfect reminder of what a disaster it is to mix friends and relatives with business. The rule is simple:  Never buy a used car from your cousin; never shoot the wedding video for your neighbor; never get a boob job from your father-in-law and...never let your boyfriend's twin brother do your taxes. Your boyfriend's brother either genuinely misunderstood the arrangement, or he manipulated you into becoming a client. (Did he ask, "Why don't you use an accountant?" or "Why don't you hire an accountant?") But even if he honestly thought you had agreed to pay, he should have told you the fee upfront, and he should have at least given you a discount! I don't care if he's Bill Gates's personal accountant, if you only made $33,000 last year, he should not be charging you $500 when you're the girlfriend of his twin brother. I agree with Amy here. Make your boyfriend take care of it.