Bottom falls out of thong deduction for TV anchor

Seal of the Internal Revenue ServiceImage via Wikipedia
Daily Mail on Sunday:

No-one could argue that TV news anchors are under pressure to look good. Glossy hair, a smart suit and a flawless complexion are a given - especially in the new era of HD-TV.

Whether a cotton thong is necessary to the job is another matter - and it landed Anrieta Hamper, a former news anchor at Ohio's 10TV, in court.

Hamper tried to get a tax break for a whole host of expenses, including teeth whitening, manicures, gym fees - and lingerie.

But she had her extensive list thrown out by the U.S. Tax Court, which ruled against her in a case brought by the IRS.

It dismissed her claim that sportswear, bedding, loungewear and - bizarrely - cotton bikini underwear and thongs were needed for her role as a news presenter.

Hamper, 38, applied for a deduction on $167,356 of expenses accrued over four years, during which time she was working as an anchor at rival station NBC4.

She claimed she had to buy a different set of clothes for work because the station's dress code was too 'conservative' for her to wear in daily life.

Other expenses included subscriptions to Glamour and Cosmopolitan, her gym fees - because she said she needed self-defence classes to protect herself against the risk of a stalker - and the cost of her dry-cleaning.

...
The IRS is one of those low empathy government agencies which does not appreciate how much it cost to look presentable on TV. Then again the talent on TV is generally compensated for this high cost, with higher pay. The possible way to get around the IRS restriction is to require uniforms for on air work. Perhaps of the thong also had the station logo on it....
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