Americans face taxing time as deadline for filing returns nears

PROSTITUTES, cat food, trips to Africa: There are few limits to the expenses Americans believe should be tax deductible, but given the complexity of the tax code they may be forgiven.

To file taxes in the US is to enter a Byzantine labyrinth replete with pitfalls and potholes.

The system is so complex that ahead of the tax deadline on April 18, millions of Americans — including the head of the Internal Revenue Service — will hire professional help to complete their filings.