Why is there so much misleading tax information on social media? Jasmine DiLucci says it’s not that tax influencers are malicious. It’s that the social media algorithm rewards oversimplified content.
I interviewed Jasmine on my Earmark Podcast. Listen here and earn free CPE/CE with the Earmark app. Jasmine is a JD, CPA, and EA with 500,000+ subscribers on YouTube.
Jasmine explains that tax professionals don’t suddenly become unethical just because they become popular on social media. The real issue is that tax law is really complicated. When algorithms promote quick, simplified content to boost engagement, misinformation can spread more easily.
Take the business clothing deduction. Jasmine created a comprehensive 10+ minute video explaining the proper three-part tax court test for deducting clothing in your business, complete with case law examples. Meanwhile, influencers are claiming in 60-second clips that simply putting a label on the inside sleeve of your clothes makes them deductible.
I asked, “Who's feeding influencers this incorrect information? Is it because we don't have enough trained tax professionals?”
Jasmine says the problem isn't a shortage of qualified professionals—there are plenty who aren't active on social media. The real issue is how easily rules get distorted when someone never understood them in the first place. That label-on-the-sleeve "hack" is a perfect example of taking shreds of truth and turning them into dangerous advice.
The actual rule has been established for decades: a clearly visible logo can help establish that clothing isn't suitable for personal use, which satisfies just one part of a three-part test. But that nuance doesn't fit in a 60-second TikTok video.
For business owners serious about tax strategy, it's worth looking beyond the quick hacks and connecting with professionals who understand the complete picture.
