Here is an article about a middle-class tax trap which is said to have resulted in some suicides: http://www.bankrate.com/elink/itax/news/20040412a1.asp Be sure to read both pages: the second page is more interesting than the first.

Who must file for the alternative minimum tax?

--Anyone who (before retirement age) withdraws money from a retirement account of more than half their income (if you have $50,000 in income, you have to withdraw more than $25,000 from your IRA to pay the AMT)

Regular withdrawal from an IRA (if you're 60 or older) is okay.

(If you have any losses recorded in the income section, such as a capital loss, you can't include this in the computation of income here)

--Anyone who claims credit for driving a hybrid car or using an alternative fuel, or anyone claiming a general business credit

I find it hard to believe that this includes any great number of people, and if you're rich enough to have all those stock options at your company, you're rich enough to pay for the best tax advice when you "exercise" it.

I also find it hard to believe that someone who has excercised lavish options would commit suicide or get a second mortgage. I don't care what the guy says in the article, I think we're not getting the whole story. Suicide is an act of depression, not of owing money. With all other options available, someone committing suicide probably had other reasons to be depressed.

Sorry, Tsaeb, I think your article is a bunch of bunk.