Beech Tree News Network

We have started the income tax season. For most of us, the federal tax filing deadline this year is April 15, 2024. Gathering information for tax filing is definitely a chore. I always dread filing, but I usually file in February to get it behind me. 

Thinking about filing income tax forms, I asked friends and family, “Other than the worry of owing additional taxes, what is one thing that you don’t like about filing income tax forms?” Their responses are listed below.

-I use TurboTax. It is sometimes confusing how they ask the questions. Likely a result of the confusing tax code…. The help file is good though and usually I find an explanation of the question.

-We always wait until the very last possible moment to take our taxes to our tax guy, and it’s so stressful! I don’t know why we do that to ourselves!

-Gathering receipts.

-I’m always afraid I’m going to forget something!

-We’ve already paid taxes out of our earnings. I don’t feel like everyone is treated fairly, depending on our status in life!

-Contemplating where all the money that I supposedly touched throughout the year disappeared to.

-I understand the purpose of taxes. It pays our teachers, it pays people who provide services: it’s something that has to be done. It just seems like we pay taxes on money that we’ve already had tax money taken from. I think if you get to a certain age, you shouldn’t have to pay any taxes, depending on income.

-Just gathering everything from all the places. Like it’s 2024…. Can’t everything just be in one place somewhere?

-Trying to make sure I have all the correct information…mortgage interest statement, vehicle taxes, retirement interest statements, W2s, etc. It never fails that I’ve forgotten something and the CPA has to call me. Technically, that’s why I let someone else do my taxes.

-Wondering where my tax dollars actually went. Also, I am curious why they take more than needed and refund some based on your earnings.

-Just getting it together.

-I just hate having to pay additional taxes every year. I always put them off until close to the deadline.

-Paperwork and cost.

-Other than fearing what I’m going to have to pay in, I loathe going through the year’s receipts for all of the rental property expenses. I also hate seeing how much I’ve paid out of pocket for medical bills when I already feel like half of my check goes to insurance.

Fred Allen said, “An income tax form is like a laundry list – either way you lose your shirt,” and Jesse Ventura said, “For every day the government is shut down, it should be that we don’t have to pay income tax that day because they’re not working.” Since paying taxes is not fun, it’s easy to joke about it. In 1789, Benjamin Franklin wrote to a friend, saying: “…in this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes.” It seems Franklin was right.