Taxes

[radrock]

Man, I hate tax season. I just sent the IRS $3,900. I've been trying to save money for about the last year and YOINKS, now it's dwindling down to nothing. It's always been hard for my people (nerds).

Sorry to vent but today is quite frustrating. No guitars for me this year.

[TNT]

Rad,

This is a perfect example of a big reason "why" the economy is a complete wreck!!

That "tax" money (which is YOUR money) could have been spent on a guitar, but instead it goes to a bunch of (I better be careful here) dead beat, low life, ignorant, self-serving game show hosts that take that money and literally "burn it"!!

Back to the guitars: Find a way to get that money back from them - and buy MM guitar! And, then let me know so I can celebrate a "double whammy"!!

[Jodizzle]

I know people can get pretty opnionated with this kinda stuf ....

BUT I was hoping to get some money back and buy a plain ticket to London to visit Tiffles.
I'm very bummed. It's such a damper.

Sorry Tiff

[pjc812]

Here's my two bits, which I also sent to my senators and congressman in an email.

Every time my expenses go up in one area, I do not automatically get to raise the rate my employer pays me. Essentially that is what politicians are doing with our tax money. Costs for everything are going up so they raise our taxes accordingly... however our incomes aren't matching that.

My solution is simple. In every basic college econ class, you learn about fixed and variable expenses. Labor (what you pay people) is often considered variable and is one of the first things to get cut. I say we make these career politicians live on what normal people make (less than six figures for sure). If their personal wealth (stock options, inheritance, basically any Kennedy out there) they do not get to draw a government salary. They are forced to be a public SERVANT which is the premise they were elected on, be it false or otherwise. I tell you what, that would lower the federal budget considerably.

These losers in congress have no transportation expenses and get to vote themselves a pay raise whenever the hell they feel like it. We normal people do not have that kind of luxury.

I support my wife and children on my sole income which is less than a quarter of the lowest paid congressman, probably worse. When my expenses go up, I do with less. I have to. It is honestly getting to the point where I don't know what else I can cut out. I keep eating less and turning my thermostat lower and lower. I hope I don't have to walk away from my house.

[fogman]

Originally Posted by radrock

Man, I hate tax season. I just sent the IRS $3,900. I've been trying to save money for about the last year and YOINKS, now it's dwindling down to nothing. It's always been hard for my people (nerds).

Sorry to vent but today is quite frustrating. No guitars for me this year.

I wish that's how much I was sending this year.

[Tim O'Sullivan]

I am glad that I am PAYE!

[radrock]

Originally Posted by TNT

That "tax" money (which is YOUR money) could have been spent on a guitar, but instead it goes to a bunch of (I better be careful here) dead beat, low life, ignorant, self-serving game show hosts that take that money and literally "burn it"!!

That Catch 22 is that I SHOULD have bought guitars with the money, then I could have written it off and not had to pay taxes on it. I usually do that in the interest of writing it off, and there it goes. For the record, I don't blame this/that president, it's just the entire tax system is messed up and it's doubtful it will ever get revamped. The good side is that our country DOES encourage self employed people in that I already write off just about everything (rent, pearl jam tickets, etc). The few dollars I don't write off get taxed into oblivion.

Foggy, it's all relative. I don't think I'll ever be at a point where I don't have to live with roommates just to be able to eat. Part of that is living in NY, but the other part is just my inability to get ahead. Sorry, it's just been a rough day. I'm thinking 2011 is going to be MY YEAR!! Thanks for listening, friends. Where's my Pepsi?

[radrock]

Originally Posted by Tim O'Sullivan

I am glad that I am PAYE!

I don't work for other people per se, so I can't do that.

[CarbonTim27]

I'm actually a Canadian Tax preparer! Unfortunately that means I have no idea how the American system works (other than the IRS take your money )

I do know how bad it gets for some people though... we have different ways of dodging tax legally so we try to encourage people to employ these techniques. It's never enough for some people, and they wind up paying in every single year.