4/14    Tax Rule of Thumb question: If you paid more than $4550 [the std
        deduction] in State Tax, should you always itemize?
        \_ i make my money from federal research grants, and you are rich.
           it is in my best interest for you to pay lots of taxes.
           don't itemize anything. ever. get all your financial advice from
           the motd, and pay extra voluntary happy taxes.
           \- hey the fed govt pays my salary too ... i should be totally
              exempt from state tax. i finally decided to grow up and start
              itemizing. in fact i should file amended returns now and get
              back all the $ i kissed away. ok tnx. --psb
                \_ It isn't your money.  It is the government's money. You
                   are taxed because the government knows better than you how
                   to spend your money.  They let you have some money for
                   pocket change like having an allowance as a kid.  Tax rates
                   for every citizen have gone up dramtically since they were
                   first imposed.  This is very similar to how the campus fees
                   that were originally voted into existance by students
                   turned into thousands of dollars/semester over time.  Once
                   a paper pushing faceless government org is giving the power
                   to take your money via taxes, levies, fines, fees, etc, the
                   prices only go up.  How dare you try to reclaim more pocket
                   change?  Don't you know you're hurting the children?
                   \_ Tax rates have gone done over the last 35 years.
        \_ I think if you have more than $4550 state tax *withholding*, you
           should itemize your federal even if your actual state tax liability
           is less than that.  The real answer is more complicated than that.
           Say when you filed your 2000 state tax form in 4/2001 you made a
           payment of $1000 to cover the difference between your 2000 state
           tax and 2000 state tax withholding.  And during 2001 your state tax
           *withholding* is $3000, and all other misc. stuff during 2001 (e.g.
           CA-SDI, vehicle license fee, house poperty tax, donation) add up to
           $551.  Since $1000 + $3000 + $551 = $4551 which is more than the
           federal standard deduction, you should itemize your federal.