The returns are in, and again, it’s not pretty.  All told, I owe just shy of $3,000 to the local and federal government, of which $2,400 of that goes to the IRS, headed by Tim Geithner who can’t even pay his own taxes.

I’m disappointed that even after having both our employers withhold the maximum amount allowable (i.e. claiming zero dependents on the W-4 form), having a whopper of a loss in the market last year, that I still end up owing a bunch of money to the federal government.

What irritates me the most though, is not so much that I owe money, it’s knowing that the money I send the government is pissed away by the inefficiencies and reckless spending in Washington.

Face it, there are government programs out there that we all benefit from and consequently should be required to pay for.  The interstate highway system, the postal system, etc.  I have no problem funding those types of programs.  It’s the bacon museum on the East coast that cost us, the taxpayers over $2 million, and all the other useless and wasteful crap that our politicians float into bills that evidently aren’t even read before they’re voted upon.

In all, I paid my home state just over $300, the state which I own rental property just $41, and the state in which I own oil production just under $100.  Effectively, it seems that my state tax obligations are well appropriated throughout the year through monthly deductions and tax payments… it’s just the federal money that’s stuck in my craw.

Maybe I should just jump on the Ed Barnett bandwagon and politely decline to pay taxes this year…

Taxes Ed Barnett, Taxes, Tim Geithner