Tuesday; April 18
Well, once again, the tax man cometh! Taxes are due today. Now you might be wondering why it is April 18 rather than April 15 and the answer is simple – sort of. April 15 is a Saturday and the next weekday is Emancipation Day a holiday in Washington, D. C., so today is the day. We may have a three day break, but there is still a day of accountability. Through my lifetime, April 15 has lost some of its dread. With the insight to have extra taxes withheld, the availability of several for-profit preparers, the sophisticated self-service products and the opportunity to file online, most people don’t cringe when mid-April rolls around. Now, while the day may not be as scary, there are times when the task is not pleasant. Taking money away from people typically isn’t pleasant, especially when we don’t always agree on what the taxes fund. However, I want to remind us of a couple of things that might help soften the blow. First of all, our tax rates are based off of our income, so the