Ethical question for the board

No, no. I'm in Texas. Mrs. tbf is in 'Bama. I'm enroute to Alabama.

 

We need a map, dammit!

If you're in Texas, I'd pick Texas, but that's just me.

 

I'm trying to tempt him to come to the dark side!

 

It's dark in my room. That count?

I have a couple of buddies who are in the same boat. I'm going to talk it over with them, too. I think most of them have said they're going to do it.

 

TBF...you might want to keep in mind that the Texas constitution allows us to secede from the Union and become our own individual country of five states.

Also, and I never took advantage of this so I'm not certain if it's still allowed, the IRS allowed Texas residents to deduct state sales tax charges off their annual returns. Of course you had to keep receipts in case you get audited. But like I said, I never took advantage of it so I don't know if that was just a one-time thing or if it's ongoing. That could add a little more to your $200 a month.

 

Claiming Fran -- Again -- or Saban... hmmmm....

Yee HAH

 

Claim Texas. My uncle is retired coast guard. He was commissioned from Texas but didn't live there his entire career. Yet, his boat (based in Va.) and cars were registered in Texas.

As long as your employer allows you to claim the state and you actually work there for some period of time, don't hesitate to save yourself money. Miss. and Ala. shouldn't benefit from your taxes if you're not actually using their services.

 

With all that travel, I want your job. Sign me up. I think it would be awesome to work in so many different places in such a short time.

 

We have a few openings in our Baghdad Bureau.

 

TBF, I think you also should consider voting rights with this move.

If you are selecting a state of residence, wouldn't you also be concerned about election policies, absentee ballots, etc.?

 

Yeah, that's one of the requirements to establish residency. Register vehicle and register to vote.

 

The ethical response is to pick the state where you intend as your permanent residence. Its not "whatever I think the IRS will not audit me for." You're asking for a moral crutch instead of what's ethical. You already know what's ethical but you are not following it. You are asking "whats the most beneficial for me" which is Texas. You say you are going to spend a great deal of time in Texas but it appears that you have no connections to the state at present.