While all the information collected by the Internal Revenue Service is protected by strict privacy statutes, the federal tax collector is well within his investigative rights to peruse what you choose to make public.  So you might want to reconsider bragging on Facebook about buying a Ferrari when you’re reporting just a $30,000 annual income on your Form 1040.  Or at least tighten up the privacy controls on your social media account.

The IRS reportedly plans to collect personal information from sites such as Facebook and Twitter as part of its continuing effort to catch tax cheats.  The added social media attention reportedly will be given to individuals with tax returns that already have raised audit red flags.

This is not a surprise.

Social media ‘spies’

Advertisers already are data mining all our social media activities, seeking ways to manage public attitudes and encourage us to buy their products.   On the legal front, criminals are regularly caught because of their ill-advised social media discussions about or videos of their illegal activities.   It’s even happened in the tax area.  Five years ago, a group of University of Central Oklahoma students bragged on MySpace that their party business had served thousands.  That boast caught the attention of the Oklahoma Tax Commission, which promptly issued the young businessmen a $320,000 state tax bill.

I’ll bet Mom and Dad weren’t thrilled when their kids called to ask for help paying the tax collector!

Limited IRS surfing

Will the IRS do the same, using taxpayer information posted on today’s popular social media outlets?  Maybe.

But you shouldn’t expect the agency to bring in a lot more money based on social media prompted tax investigations.   The main reason is that the IRS already is running on a tight budget.  Many workers face furloughs if sequestration cuts continue.   And the IRS also recently caught congressional flack for making what some lawmakers saw as frivolous and money-wasting videos, ostensibly for training purposes, in its own in-house production studio.   So I suspect that diverting already thin resources to monitor social media sites won’t go over too well on Capitol Hill.

That said, remember that what you say on the worldwide web about your lifestyle could have consequences beyond just impressing your friends.

Best real life example I experienced this past Tuesday – I was involved in a hit and run and did not get the driver’s license plate number.  I was able to identify the make and model of the car and had seen the driver.  Luckily, it was a nurse that was leaving a hospice and I was able to use Google and social media to find her, as no one at the facility actually knew her name.  Myself and the facility staff identified her by her picture online alone.  Thank you smartphone.  Once you are out there, you are there for anyone to find.  Just remember, social media (in my case) can be your friend, or (in the case of the students) be your foe.  Be mindful of you put out there.

Thanks to the Tax Relief Act passed in December, your 2010 taxes are a lot less complicated than they might have been, but there are a few changes that could trip you up.  Lawmakers’ agreement to extend the Bush-era tax cuts means many of the tax provisions you’ve come to know and love are still in place — and the Form 1040 is similar to last year.  But there’s bad news for some taxpayers…

For instance, in 2009 unemployed workers could exclude up to $2,400 of unemployment benefits from income; that provision did not get extended for 2010.  This was quite surprising to me, as well as many taxpayers I’m sure, considering the unemployment rate is still so high.

Other tax breaks are gone, too, such as the three extra standard deductions:  Real estate taxes, taxes on a new-car purchase, and disaster losses.  Still, other than the disappearance of Line 40b to claim those extra standard deductions, Form 1040 is essentially the same as last year.

For high-income filers, the new law extends through 2012 the Bush-era provision repealing the income limits on itemized deductions and personal exemptions.  Before, taxpayers above certain income levels lost part or all of their exemptions and itemized deductions.  Those limits were slowly phased out; 2010 is the first year they’re gone completely (separate income limits still apply on some deductions).  Plus, Congress extended the alternative-minimum-tax patch, preventing millions of taxpayers from losing access to a number of tax breaks under that parallel system.  The AMT exemption amount in 2010 for single filers is $47,450 and for married-filing-jointly filers it’s $72,450.

A big perk, for eligible families: The adoption credit is now refundable, and worth up to $13,170 in 2010 and 2011.  In 2012, it drops down to $12,170 and won’t be refundable.

Also thanks to the new law, people 70 1/2 or older can donate up to $100,000 to an eligible charity directly from their IRA, count it as a required minimum distribution, yet still avoid an income-tax hit on that money (but they can’t deduct it as a charitable donation).  And they get until Jan. 31 this year to make such a contribution for 2010.  The tax break is also available in 2011.

However, if in 2010 you took advantage of the ability to roll money from a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA, income limits on such transfers no longer exist;  but you can choose to pay the income tax on that conversion over two years, half in 2011 and half in 2012.  Or, you can include that income on your 2010 return.  If you want to pay the tax now (maybe you’re in a lower tax bracket in 2010 than you expect to be this year) be sure to check the appropriate box on Form 8606.

Are you eligible to claim the home-buyer tax credit on your 2010 return?  You won’t be able to e-file.  The IRS wants you to mail the information with your return.  The credit is worth up to $8,000 for first-time home buyers and $6,500 for long-time homeowners who lived in their home for more than five years.  If you claimed the credit in 2008 however, you are among the unfortunate group that must pay the credit back over the next 15 years — and 2010 is the year your first bill will arrive.

Also, if you claimed the home-buyer credit in 2008 or 2009 and then moved out of the house, you may have to pay back the credit.  Check out Form 5405 for the details.

But, bad news for homeowners who didn’t jump on the tax credit for energy-efficient home improvements, such as new doors and windows: That tax break got trimmed for 2011.  Still you can take it for 2010 if you made the eligible energy-efficient upgrades by the end of the year.

But, hey, if you are confused, not to worry, you get an extra weekend to sort it all out.  The tax deadline is April 18, thanks to a holiday in Washington on April 15.