Tax Day 2009

[NannyB.]

April 15.  Tax day.  A day I have come to dread, if not despise.  We have been small business people, the backbone of America.  Also the most heavily taxed segment of the American population.  We have to estimate our income for the year and then pay quarterly, based on that estimate.  Yep!  We have to write those checks, address those envelopes and put them in the mail every three months.  Then at the end of the year, we have to figure up how much we actually made and then pay some more.  In the unlikely event that we have paid a little more than we actually owed, we don't get that back.  Oh no!  That will just be applied to the first quarter assessment for the next tax year.  Oh, I forgot to mention.  We also pay 100% of our own Social Security, and we pay the maximum amount they are allowed to collect.  We do not have the option of investing any of our own money into some other kind of retirement account.  Then we also have to file a state return, a city return, a county return,  We even have to keep up with how much of our income is earned in the city and how much is earned in the county.  It's enough to make the strongest of stomachs nauseous.  I think it's hard for those who have their taxes and Social Security deducted from their pay checks to fully understand just how much of their incomes the governments take from us.  And what's even more sickening is to have to write their names on the check and personally send it to them.  My only little piece of control is to get everything prepared early and then wait until the very last day to send it to them.  I know.  That's very childish and accomplishes nothing, but it's the only control I have over the money my husband worked hard to earn, only to have it taken away and given to people who refuse to work and try to provide for their families the way he has always tried to do for us.  Oh, I forgot to tell you about all the penalties and interest that we are assessed if we make any kind of a mistake or don't get our quarterly stuff in on time.  We've even had IRS reps show up at our home.  Pretty intimidating and meant to be so.  Compare that to the recent revelations about members of Congress and the like whose mistakes have just been overlooked as harmless little oversights.  Yeah, tax day is not at all my favorite day of the year.  But good news!  God's in control on tax day just like He is every other day of the year and one day, He will balance the books.  I praise Him for that.