Have you submitted your return to Uncle Sam?

‘Tis the season… one of my least favorite. No it isn’t the spring equinox that has thrown off my game, but instead a man-made creation that has me gnashing my teeth day and night. It is Tax Season.

In case you’ve missed the memo, you are just two short weeks away from the national deadline issued by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). If you haven’t selected a method, your time to act is dwindling.

There are so many reasons I hate doing my taxes. Does anyone really like doing them? Maybe some number-fascinated accountants out there enjoy the rule and order of the process. But that is certainly not me. Ever.

I won’t even get into the politics of the process. We, at Access Network, do our best to keep our political views away from the news process. And, though this is an opinion piece I create each week, I’ll continue the practice. I think it is incredibly crucial, especially this day and age, to keep journalism unbiased, balanced, and fair.

No matter the side of the aisle you find yourself, there is a pretty big part of taxes that relates to our country’s governing bodies. Obviously, taxes are paid in order for our government to operate. If you’ll flash back to your middle school civic lessons, our country was founded because, at least in part, because of taxes.

Recall the angered patriots, throwing crates of tea into the Boston harbors, fueled by a desire to eliminate taxation without representation. They were unhappy with a government being an ocean away, having power over a new land. We, as Americans, were paying taxes to the British, funding their government, but had no representatives, standing up for the colonies’ needs.

This sentiment should ring true still today. It can be frustrating to be forced, by law, to pay your fair share to a government you may not agree with overall. We have elections, but we do not get to control the actions of those elected. Our only power is to remove them from office at the next election. Whether you voted for and appreciate your current government, or not, you do have to pay taxes.

My other major beef with paying taxes is the process that we have in place. While I am in favor of everyone giving a portion of their earnings to better our country, how they are submitted each year seems unnecessarily complicated. Why couldn’t taxes just be “X percent?” If you earn a dollar, 20 cents of that dollar goes back to the country, government, and community. Everyone pays 20 percent. It comes out with your pay, out of your check, and you never miss it. It would be predictable and fair.

Instead, our government expects us to figure out the multitude of hurdles, confusing loopholes, allowances and credits, and submit tax returns each year. Firstly, this is super unfair as those with money will pay the least. If you are a big wig with a staff of folks doing these things for you, chances are you are going to have an entire legal team dedicated to finding ways to lower your taxes, netting you a bigger refund.

If you are, well me, and have to stumble through an online software, answering hundreds of questions designed to assist you in completing a hundreds-of-pages document for submission, well, let’s just say I’m not confident I get all of the discounts and credits I’m permitted.

I just don’t understand why everyone shouldn’t be providing the same contributions to society. Why do some pay a quarter of their yearly salary, while our country’s billionaires pay nothing at all? That just doesn’t make any common sense. (And you know, for a column named Two Free Pennies, I love making … “cents.” I had to do it… please don’t quit reading!)

And lastly, my final gripe about taxes is simply the margin for error. Because of this very complicated and confusing process, each and every year, I do my best to be sure all of my “Ts are crossed and Is are dotted.” But I also send in my return each year, crossing my fingers, saying a prayer, rubbing the Buddha belly, and kissing the four-leaf clover. In other words, I haven’t a clue if I did it all correctly.

I am also reminded, around this time each year, that I am also not the most disadvantaged. By a long shot, there are far more citizens stuck in a difficult situation. It is hard to understand these annual requirements, and I have a bachelor’s degree. I have technology in my home, providing me easy access to the services (free and at-cost) that can help me. I know of the area’s resources that can help me, should I get stuck or be unsure about my return.

So many residents do not have these advantages. It may take a bus ride to a library to access the web. It may mean forfeiting groceries to pay the fees for your return. Your bank account may make it complicated to have a direct deposit, meaning you’ll wait even longer for a return. There are plenty of hurdles, far taller than my own, that create a very unbalanced and unfair society.

No matter how many complaints I list, and believe me, I could go on forever, the bottom line is we have no choice. There is a saying that there are only two things that are for sure in this life: death and taxes. And perhaps it is that lack of choice that boils my blood most. I always say, if you want me NOT to do something, tell me I have to. As a matter of pride, I’ll probably go out of my way not to.

Regardless of your feelings on the matter, don’t forget, Tax Day is fast-approaching. Be sure to send Uncle Sam your return. And, whether you get a refund or owe him some more, I hope you complete them correctly and completely. I will wish you only the best and pray none of us hear that terrifying five-letter threat EVER: audit. *shivers*