Anyone who’s followed this space for any length of time knows I despise tax season.  I don’t generally use the term “hate”, but in this rare case it seems to apply.

Hate,    –verb (used with object)

to dislike intensely or passionately; feel extreme aversion for or extreme hostility toward; detest: to hate the enemy; to hate bigotry.

I’m not to the point of  “extreme hostility” yet, but the rest of the above certainly applies.

It’s not that I’m against paying taxes.  I understand the benefit.  Someone has to pay for the roads and highways we use, banking and aviation infrastructure, etc…

It’s the rest of the fraudulent and wasteful crap that my tax dollars spent on that really peeves me.

At any rate, corporate returns are due Monday, and I’ll be filing an extension.  Not because I’m not ready, I just don’t like being rushed.

More on how things turned out later.

Taxes tax code, Taxes

While I’m not attending a tax day tea party today, I’ll certainly drink a cup of tea in honor of the idea.

The topic of taxes comes up about this time every year, and every y ear I grovel at the fact of actually writing the check.  I don’t mind paying taxes; I understand their value.  After all, someone has to pay for the highway system, post office, etc.  Services we all use.

It’s what my tax dollars are used for that really chaps my hide. Hearing about all the wasteful spending that’s going on in Washington, the bailouts, the TARP, the budget.  Yeah, I don’t mind paying taxes, but spend my money wisely, damn it!

And simplify the code!

After this years tax season I’m more adamant than ever about simplifying the tax code.  In my opinion, the whole thing needs to be scrapped.  Get rid of it.  Burn it.  Shred it.  I don’t care, just don’t use it any more.

We have to simplify the system; be it through a FairTax, a flat tax…  To consider either one of those ideas is a start.

Our current code is over 65,000 pages in length.  There is no way any citizen of this great country can be expected to read, understand and comply with this garbage every year.  It’s no wonder so many people are paying someone else to prepare their taxes.

It’s also no wonder that even our politicians can’t even get their taxes right.

I’m not giving them a pass, and I believe a number of them are willfully cheating the system, and they should be held accountable.

I’m a big fan of Glenn Beck’s program, as I think he provides a sensible voice of reality to today’s issues.  And I don’t think I could have made a stronger argument for a new tax code any better than in his “The One Thing” segment below.

Happy tax day.  And enjoy your tea!

Taxes Fair Tax, Flat Tax, Glenn Beck, tax code, Taxes, Tea Party

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