Tax Time is Around the Corner

Haven’t had much time to blog lately, as I’m trying to catch up on a bunch of long delayed projects around the house. Between building the last couple of kitchen cabinets and trying to organize the garage, I’m also getting our financial records ready to file income tax.

By this time next month, I’ll be chained to the computer, working with Tax Cut, and trying to figure out the confusing income tax rules. I’d really rather take a beating, but when I recall how an accountant overcharged us last time, I’ll do my best to struggle through it one more time. Since Judy retired from her Realtor career last year, it shouldn’t be quite as bad as it’s been in the past.

I guess I could be like our new Treasury Secretary and wing it...to our financial benefit, of course. If a tax cheat can be in Obama’s cabinet, I shouldn’t have any problem. Yeah, right! A few years ago, I made a mistake on a return and the $75 I shorted the IRS had to be paid immediately, plus a penalty of $35. Obama’s guy owed thousands, but apparently got by just paying the overdue tax.

Last year I had a problem identifying where and how one source of income should be entered on the 1040, so I called the Fort Worth IRS office. The answer I got just didn’t sound right, so I called again and talked to another “expert”. He gave me a different answer, but something still didn’t seem right, so I called a third person and he gave me yet another answer. If the IRS employees can’t understand the tax code well enough to give good instructions, I don’t know how they can expect normal taxpayers to figure it out.