xxx

I have a couple of comments for those pessimistic people out there. I won a trip last year through a radio contest called "Passport to Paradise" We got airfare from Chicago and 5 night stay at Outrigger Resort in Hawaii for two. I believe the trip was valued around $3000, that doesn't sound that off to me. Sure you could maybe save a little on airfare if you booked throough a consolidator or got a last minute deal, but not tht much and besides this is retail for airline and hotel. The taxes we paid were around $900 (about 30%). I never looked at this trip as "free" but as a GREAT BARGAIN!!!! Who goes to Hawaii for $450/person? We had a great time.

A note for you nonlawabiders, the tax man will get you. You can't just "write in" the value of your trip on a tax return. The provider will send you a 1099 for the winnings with a stated value. The 1099 must be attached to your return and if it is not, you are in violation of the law, the same thing for gambling and lottery winnings.

Who care if they did inflate the prices of trips? Taxes are only 30% so you are still getting a nice trip for about half the cost of what it would be if you went out and bought it. You should be happy you are so lucky and QUIT WHINING!

jim

I knew sooner or later that an innocent question like this one would end up with someone making a personal attack ("QUIT WHINING") on another post.
What's causing this? Is it the downturn in the economy? Does the Internet attract surly people? And has anyone else noticed that every question sooner or later gets a smartass post?

No Name

I agree that it is probably a bad idea to quibble about the value of the prize. Yes, you could write in a lower value on your tax forms. Let's say the official value is $4000, and you think it should be $3000 and write that in. You would save $333 (one third of $1000). Weigh that against the leg work of researching the value and the IRS investigation you'll trigger and make your decision. Me? I'd just write off the $333.

ncgrrl

Thanks Dan for posting.

I guess I had you confused with another radio travel promotion gone bad. I thought G105 worked with a Garner travel agent who took the money without doing the work.

Taxman

I hadn't meant to get involved in all of this , my only intention was to reinteriate the previous post of someone being surprised at the tax responsibility and that it might be a good idea of being aware of this in advance. In my particular situation the prize I won was donated by a travel agency to a nonprofit and was valued at $30,000 , a trip from the west coast to Spain and Portugal. I was advised that this was the amount that would be submitted on the 1099 , so I was already aware of that.AS I remember the first class airfare alone was valued at about $20,000. It appeared to me that the travel agency was ticketing all the charges at the highest possible rates in order to increase the value of their tax deductable donation to the nonprofit. We had already seen as much of Spain and Portugal as we were interested in and there were also severe restrictions on when we had to travel. I did complain to the nonprofit about all this. Would $9000 have been a bargin for the type of treatment that we were to have recieved? Possibly. But there were places we would have rather spent the money and at times more convient to us. Again my point only was to be aware up front of what the cost of the "free" trip is. But thank you for your concern.

xxx

Iwon a trip for two to Cabo San Lucas (from San Francisco) by responding to a survey from a local radio station. Although I was wary, the trip turned out to be great. Airfare, transportation to/from the airport and hotel for four nights were included. Sent the station manager a postcard.

My husband also won a trip for two to Maui through a drawing at his office. This was a good trip too, but he backed the rental car into a post, which ended up costing us about half of what the trip would have cost. Didn't spoil the trip, though.

It does pay to enter contests!

Sheila

At last I've found a tax thing where we do better in the UK than you do in the US. Prizes here are not taxable!!

Sarabeth

I've been lucky enough to win a few trips on different game shows. The best one was on Face the Music in the late 70s. It was advertised as a 'trip around the world' but when it came time to take the trip the prize people substituted any tour available from a tour company called "Ask Mr. Foster" which worked out of the department store May Co. here in Los Angeles. I chose a 3 week trip to Israel and Egypt, the first time that trip was being offered since travel between the 2 countries was just beginning. It was a fabulous trip, first class all the way. On the same show I also won a trip to Vegas, which I took, and then a couple of trips I forfeited just because I wouldn't have time in the year given to take them.
My friend and I won a spa trip on the Lifetime show called Who Knows You Best. We leave on our trip this coming Thursday night (15th) until the 19th. We won the trip and any spa treatment we want. Should be some good girlfriend fun.

Sarabeth

I've been lucky enough to win a few trips on different game shows. The best one was on Face the Music in the late 70s. It was advertised as a 'trip around the world' but when it came time to take the trip the prize people substituted any tour available from a tour company called "Ask Mr. Foster" which worked out of the department store May Co. here in Los Angeles. I chose a 3 week trip to Israel and Egypt, the first time that trip was being offered since travel between the 2 countries was just beginning. It was a fabulous trip, first class all the way. On the same show I also won a trip to Vegas, which I took, and then a couple of trips I forfeited just because I wouldn't have time in the year given to take them.
My friend and I won a spa trip on the Lifetime show called Who Knows You Best. We leave on our trip this coming Thursday night (15th) until the 19th. We won the trip and any spa treatment we want. Should be some good girlfriend fun.

LEANNA

Yep! Won a week on Oahu for 2, with hotel..the Ilikai and plane, and limo for transfers. Hubby didnt want to go, so I added on another air fare and took my 2 teen boys. WE HAD A BALL!! It was our 2nd trip to Oahu, so we redid some of our favorite things and just relaxed. I've always considered the prize a gift from my angels cause it let me spend that fun week w/ my boys! Taxes? Smaxes! The trip was worth a zillion $$$$!!!!

debby

My husband was on Jeopardy! and came in second. He won a trip for two to the Atlantis resort on Paradise Island, Bahamas. It was hard to get it booked (lots of calls and faxes back and forth from the east coast to California) but the trip was fabulous! It was all expenses paid: airfare, hotel and food(which was good because the food was very expensive!) We got $50 to use in the casino, plus some activities on the property. The estimated value of the trip was very high, so we got a printout from the travel agent on what the airfare actually cost them, plus a print out from the hotel upon check out of the actual expenses of the trip. This greatly reduced our tax liability. But all in all, it was a fantastic week!

Jeanette

Leanna: I think of my "won" trip the same exact way. It was a gift from God because through it I got to be with my daughter who left home early and who somehow had gotten lost in the crowd. I'd been to Florida so much that I would have never gone to Orlando again- but because of her and the joy she got from this experience, I see it was a gift from the angels too.