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During the first few months of the year, I read lots of articles and hear from many readers on the question of income taxes. It’s not surprising since filing income tax paperwork is part of the life of most American adults during these first few months of the year, and it’s always a painful process. No one enjoys seeing a large chunk of their income vanish out of their checking account, even if that money goes to a good cause.

This situation is made worse by people who share faulty and sometimes downright false information about income taxes, creating a picture that can mislead people and result in horrible mistakes and mistrust of the government based on bogus information. Here are six misunderstandings I see popping up all the time in emails, Facebook comments and messages, other blogs, and even sometimes in professional articles.

Chances are, your kid can help with your taxes: The deductions and credits available to parents can really add up.

There’s a lot to be said about having children; they’re a joy, they’re a handful — and they’re expensive.

How expensive depends upon where you live and how much you earn. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates it costs between $180,000 and $540,000 to raise a child from birth to age 18, and those numbers just get you through high school — they don’t include college or technical school.

Fortunately, the federal tax code contains some help for parents in the form of deductions and credits.

What’s inside? Here are the questions answered in today’s reader mailbag, boiled down to five word summaries. Click on the number to jump straight down to the question.
1. Frugality and abusing charity
2. Gifts for groomsmen
3. Spending in response to debt
4. Unlimited photo storage with Prime
5. Dave Ramsey’s 12% returns
6. Going without credit cards
7. Is home photo printing cheap?
8. Avoiding dollar store
9. Buying a grill for life

The majority of taxpayers have long held the belief that they have no rights before the IRS, according to IRS National Taxpayer Advocate Nina Olson. IRS surveys have confirmed this view, despite the fact that Congress has passed multiple bills over the years titled “Taxpayer Bill of Rights.”

The Taxpayer Advocate Service, an independent office within the IRS since 2007, has worked with the agency to adopt an official Taxpayer Bill of Rights based on existing rights in the tax code.

The Taxpayer Bill of Rights was unveiled in June 2014 and will be included as part of IRS Publication 1, which is regularly included with IRS correspondence with taxpayers. The IRS plans to make the document available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Russian. IRS Commissioner John Koskinen believes it is important that taxpayers read and understand their rights.