"What is the difference between a taxidermist and a tax collector? The taxidermist takes only your skin." ~Mark Twain, Notebook, 1902
Today I worked on my taxes...gathering slips of papers, W2 forms, and all that other crap I will need come February 25th when I go see my accountant. Every year, I promise myself that I'm going to be organized and keep folders. Did I this year? No, like all the other years I had to hunt and gather. Ummm...where did I put all those co-payment slips? I know I have that slip from the town telling me what I paid in excise taxes. And that envelope from the bank about the interest payment...ummm...seems I put it over there in that desk. Damn, I wish I was organized! I wonder how other people view getting ready for the tax man. Hell, I wonder what other people think about taxes. Being ADHD, all thoughts of organizing my "stuff" fell to the wayside. Now Ogden came up with a nice prayer, I see.
"The more you earn, the less you keep,
And now I lay me down to sleep.
I pray the Lord my soul to take,
If the tax-collector hasn't got it before I wake."
~Ogden Nash
And then there's Will Rodgers....he certainly thinks like I do.
"If you make any money, the government shoves you in the creek once a year with it in your pockets, and all that don't get wet you can keep." ~Will Rogers
And another one from Will:
"The income tax has made more liars out of the American people than golf has. Even when you make a tax form out on the level, you don't know when it's through if you are a crook or a martyr."
So the big question tonight is whether you have filed your taxes and if so, did you lie?
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Comments: 53
Great quotes.
Until Papa had his stroke in 2002, he did the taxes. But that year, he had the stroke the end of March...then the house burnt down.....and I was left high and dry. I knew nothing about filing nor did I have any paperwork so I went to an Accountant in town and he walked me through the precess of what I had to do to file late. Since then, I go to him every year...but I still have to "collect" all the receipts and put some order to them.
They gave your refund to someone else? OMG
I don't lie, I feel like they can see in the windows to see what I'm doing! Besides I just take the standard deduction any more so there isn't much leeway for anything.
I just hate the whole process. Every year I collect my receipts, add up all the co-pays, the medical milage, the contributions, the outlays for ed courses, put them in nice folders, and hope for a refund. In the end, I always end up having to pay more money to the IRS.
Did you ever notice that when you put the words "The" and "IRS" together, it spells "THEIRS?"
It just seems to me, we try to live within our income so we can afford to pay taxes to a government that can't live within its income. Doesn't make sense, does it? And talk about the tax code....I think it's bigger then the Bible.
A flat tax would be ideal.you'd simply pay a fixed percentage of your income, and you wouldn't have to fill out any complicated forms, and there would be no loopholes for politically connected groups, and normal people would actually understand the tax laws.
I used to be where you were but then Papa had the stroke and I had to learn FAST!
BTW Happy Birthday and many more. A little birdie told me.
I just read you are going to Florida and you aren't taking all of your Gather friends. Do you realize what a BIG charitable donation you could have claimed if you had paid for all of us to go along?
I'm in sunny, sunny Florida...just basking in the sun. Actually, after 3 days in the sun, I'm a RED lobster. I should have brought my Gather friends...would be a BIG tax write-off!
I left for Florida early Sunday morn at 6:37. Lena was picking up our pottery pieces Sunday afternoon but I told her we needed pictures of our pieces for me to create an update on Gather when I got back.
Just want to let you know, I'm working hard on Magi. Whether my diligence will pay off or not is questionable. But putting extreme effort into it. Hopefully he will be fit for excursions when he gets to you.