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Death and... um, money stuff, the stuff I keep forgetting to do. The only reason I avoid doing taxes is, even now, I still hate homework. I never did it in school, I certainly don't want to do it now. I just got the Fed refund back and I'm all done, the credit cards have their pound of flesh on the way. I know I'm not supposed to let the withholding get as high as it is, but with the amount my bank is giving me in interest I can barely super size a happy meal, so why worry?
My taxes could be done by a third grader. Here's the money I got minus the amount The State will ignore because I'm basically breathing. Here's the amount owed based on that total minus the amount the State withheld. If the State held more than it should have, they give me the difference, otherwise I owe them the difference.
It's really that simple. People talk about a tax audit like it's the end of the world, mine would be a ten minute yawn fest. I could probably weasel a little more out of my total by doing esoteric rules lawyering, but I don't feel it's worth the grief.
I don't begrudge taxes, I need The State to run so I don't have to worry about it, I accept that there is a cost to this. I have public roads, flush-flush-go-bye-bye, and all the other things that I don't want to have to think about being handled. It's actually a bargain, when you consider the immensity of it.
One of the things I could technically declare is charity. To me, charity with a receipt feels like an ulterior motive. If I drop cash in a bucket, it's because I know most of what is dropped is making it to the place I intended. And not pinstriping some non-prof CFO's beamer. If it involves paperwork, it just seems to me that the spirit of giving has been murdered. Ever notice that Santa and Satan are just off by an n?
My taxes could be done by a third grader. Here's the money I got minus the amount The State will ignore because I'm basically breathing. Here's the amount owed based on that total minus the amount the State withheld. If the State held more than it should have, they give me the difference, otherwise I owe them the difference.
It's really that simple. People talk about a tax audit like it's the end of the world, mine would be a ten minute yawn fest. I could probably weasel a little more out of my total by doing esoteric rules lawyering, but I don't feel it's worth the grief.
I don't begrudge taxes, I need The State to run so I don't have to worry about it, I accept that there is a cost to this. I have public roads, flush-flush-go-bye-bye, and all the other things that I don't want to have to think about being handled. It's actually a bargain, when you consider the immensity of it.
One of the things I could technically declare is charity. To me, charity with a receipt feels like an ulterior motive. If I drop cash in a bucket, it's because I know most of what is dropped is making it to the place I intended. And not pinstriping some non-prof CFO's beamer. If it involves paperwork, it just seems to me that the spirit of giving has been murdered. Ever notice that Santa and Satan are just off by an n?