Pages

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Happy (Or Unhappy, I suppose) Tax Day!

There are things I just don't understand.  Things that are a normal part of life, that I accept, but don't fully get.  Taxes are one of those things.  Oh, I get the money part.  I realize that the government needs money and it's our job to give them some of ours.  But past that point, I'm lost.

- How does one actually commit tax fraud?  I mean, taxes come right out of my paycheck each week.  Even if I wanted to not give the government my money, I couldn't succeed.  But hundreds (maybe thousands) of Americans go to jail each year for committing the act. 

- Why do so many people wait until April 14th to do their taxes?  I mean, seriously?  Aren't you scared that your computer is going to break or the internet is going to go down or an asteroid is going to hit the mail box that you've just used to mail the papers?  Wouldn't life be so much less stressful if you just did it months ago when you got all the docs in the mail?

- What exactly is a tax break and how can I get in on that action?  I know millionaires get them but I'm thinking they're rich enough to pay the same darn taxes all of us average people are paying, right?

- How does one even succeed in "doing" one's taxes?  There are an awful lot of numbers, letters, symbols, etc. on those darn documents that come in the mail. One false move, and you're in the poor house instead of living the high life.  I know TurboTax looks simple and I'm fairly good with a computer, but the accountant has some fancy letters after his name that tell me he's not going to screw it up as royally as I am, therefore, I'm willing to pay anything he asks. 

In hindsight, I probably should have gone the accounting root - I wouldn't have to write a post about all the things I didn't understand about taxes, and I'd be rolling in the dough of all the schmucks like me... 

Here's hoping all of our refunds are big and our losses are tiny. Happy Tax Day!

0 comments:

Post a Comment