Questions 34 through 38 refer to the following text.
We've been keeping our veterinarian in business lately.
First Sammy, our nine-year-old golden retriever, needed
surgery. (She's fine now.) Then Inky, our curious cat,
burned his paw. (He'll be fine, too.) At our last visit, as we
were writing our fourth (or was it the fifth?) consecutive
check to the veterinary hospital, there was much joking
about how vet bills should be tax-deductible. After all, pets
are dependents, too, right? (Guffaws all around.)
Now, halfway through tax-filing season, comes news
that pets are high on the list of unusual deductions
taxpayers try to claim. From routine pet expenses to the
costs of adopting a pet to, yes, pets as "dependents," tax
accountants have heard it all this year, according to the
Minnesota Society of Certified Public Accountants, which
surveys its members annually about the most outlandish
tax deductions proposed by clients. Most of these doggy
deductions don't hunt, but, believe it or not, some do. Could
there be a spot for Sammy and Inky on our 1040?
Scott Kadrlik, a certified public accountant in Eden Prairie,
Minn., who moonlights as a stand-up comedian (really!),
gave me a dog's-eye view of the tax code: "In most cases
our family pets are just family pets," he says. They cannot
be claimed as dependents, and you cannot deduct the
cost of their food, medical care or other expenses. One
exception is service dogs. If you require a Seeing Eye
dog, for example, your canine's costs are deductible as
a medical expense. Occasionally, man's best friend also
is man's best business deduction. The Doberman that
guards the junk yard can be deductible as a business
expense of the junk-yard owner, says Mr. Kadrlik. Ditto the
convenience-store cat that keeps the rats at bay.
For most of us, though, our pets are hobbies at most.
Something's a hobby if, among other things, it hasn't turned
a profit in at least three of the past five years (or two of the
past seven years in the case of horse training, breeding
or racing). In that case, you can't deduct losses—only
expenses to the extent of income in the same year. So if
your beloved Bichon earns $100 for a modeling gig, you
could deduct $100 worth of vet bills (or dog food or doggy
attire).
(Source: Carolyn Geer, The Wall Street Journal, retrieved on 13 March
2014 - slightly adapted)
The title that best conveys the main purpose of the article is:
