It's silly season for tax experts, and you're sure to hear some of them talking about red flags that mark your return for audit. It is a scary thought that the wrong deduction could have you hauled before the IRS. It's also dead wrong.

The kind of thing that grabs the attention of the IRS is if the picture you paint of yourself on your return seems, well, weird, when compared with what other taxpayers are reporting. For example, you might raise a flag if you claim that you give half of your income to charity or report that you use your new SUV 100% for business but report only tiny business income.

But the fact of the matter is that very few tax returns are ever audited. The latest stats show that, on average, the IRS audits just one of every 97 returns. And, most of those are handled by mail, not man-to-man. Even on returns reporting between $100,000 and $1 million in income, only one in 60 goes through the wringer.

I’m not telling you this to encourage you to play the audit lottery. I want you to be honest, because for every taxpayer who cheats, honest men and women have to pay more.

But I don’t want you to be afraid of the IRS. If you have a legitimate tax break coming -- a home office deduction or a big charitable contribution or a casualty loss or whatever -- take it. Skipping it, in hopes of avoiding a possible audit, would be like paying extortion. Rather than worrying about the IRS, devote your energy to honestly whittling down your tax bill to the legal minimum.

MORE: Kiplinger.com | Your Money | Taxes | Column

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