Five Stupid Things People Have Tried Deducting On Their Tax Returns

Taxes are due on Monday, April 18th this year, because of Emancipation Day.

Be careful what you try to deduct!  Here's a list from CNNMoney.com of five stupid things people have tried to deduct on their taxes.

#1.)  Hookers. A lawyer in New York tried to deduct the $66,000 he spent on prostitutes as a medical expense, along with the $5,000 he spent on pornography and sex therapy books.

--But obviously, if you pay for something that's illegal, you can't deduct it.  And he couldn't deduct the money he spent on the books either, because a court ruled they were for his, quote, "general welfare", and not prescribed by a doctor.

#2.)  Candy and Flowers for Secretaries. A public defender in Santa Clara, California tried to deduct it on his taxes, but the IRS decided it was a personal expense that wasn't necessary for his business.

#3.)  Buffalo Meat. A professional bodybuilder in Wisconsin tried to deduct it, saying it has more protein than other meats.  But a court decided that since plenty of normal people eat buffalo meat too, it wasn't deductable.

--But the guy did manage to deduct tanning products and "posing oil", which is the stuff bodybuilders rub all over themselves so they look shiny.

#4.)  An Aquarium. A guy in Rock Hill, South Carolina tried to deduct an eleven hundred dollar, 75-gallon saltwater aquarium, which would have been fine if he was in the exotic fish business. The problem was, he was a stockbroker.

#5.)  Underwear. One of the guys in Rod Stewart's band once tried to deduct leather pants, hats, a vest, and silk boxers because he wore them on stage.

--The IRS eventually let him deduct some of the flashier items, but not the boxers since no one could see them.