For a Change the White House Chips in with Some Tax Saving Tips

Oops, if you are one of those people who think Obama is treading on you morally, mentally and physically, don't visit that website. :)

This is for those simple Americans who care for their hard-earned money and want to really make sure that they are not missing out any of the tax benefits available to them under under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) or simply known as the Economic Recovery Act.

Yes, there are lots of such tax help tools out there strewn throughout the internet. But this is one of the simplest and easiest ones to understand as far as ARRA benefits are concerned.

It starts by asking about your filing status: single/married filing jointly/married filing separately. Only thing to remember, those who are filing as "head of household" are asked to select the "single" filer option. There is no separate key for "Head of the Household", probably because benefits for this category are almost the same as for the single filer.

Then it asks about your income range. (Oops again! If you get a creepy feeling that Big Brother Obama is snooping on your income, don't use it further or better still, try all income levels one by one:). But if you are that American really interested in knowing more about your ARRA benefits, you can click on further.)

Subsequent queries take you through the various items eligible for deductions under the Recovery Act 2009:

- "Making Work Pay" Tax Credit

- American Opportunity Credit (another educational benefit in the same category as Hope and Lifelong Learning)

- First-time Home Buyer Credit

- Residential Energy Credit

- Sales Tax Deductions on Motor Vehicle Purchases

- Unemployment Benefits

- Child Tax Credit

- Earned Income Credit

Yes, most of the names of these credits and deductions already exist and the revised sections are likely to be overlooked. Remember to avail the increased quantum of deductions in these categories, if eligible.

Also, if you use tax preparation software, remember to update it one last time before filing so that the latest decisions and rules of the IRS are included and are complied with.

Of course, even White House is not exempt from the disclosure statements. So they remind you that the White House Recovery Act Tax Tool is only for educational purposes and for expert advice on eligibility you will have to contact the IRS or a tax specialist.

For easier access, the link (http://www.whitehouse.gov/recovery/tax-saving-tool) can be found on this page below the right advertisement panel under the section title "Resources":->>