# I OWE money on my taxes? God damn it! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 2, 2006, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-owe-money-on-my-taxes-god-damn-it/346722 "2006-03-02T04:00:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2006, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-owe-money-on-my-taxes-god-damn-it/346722/61 "2006-03-06T01:38:46Z")
> [@kambuckta](#): > > My HECS debt would have come into the equation once the 35k threshold was reached. The debt is calculated against the entire taxable income, not just monies earned _over_ the 35k. Ah! Way to engourage people to earn more money :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2006, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-owe-money-on-my-taxes-god-damn-it/346722/62 "2006-03-06T06:41:01Z")
> [@1920s Style "Death Ray"](#): > > Ah! Way to engourage people to earn more money :rolleyes: HECS works well for youngsters starting off on a career path. It sucks majorly for mature-aged students (like myself) who return to study with high ideals of ‘making something of their life’ only to find **life** itself getting in the way. With 4 kids _and_ work AND going to uni, I found studying the ‘hassle’ that could be disposed of…it’s much harder to rid oneself of kids and working to put foods on plates etc. Because of that, I did not finish my degree. But I still have a HECS debt that is growing with CPI changes every year. Without professional qualifications, I will never earn quite enough to justify paying back my HECS bill. The job I have at the moment hovers around the threshold, and it is in my best financial interest to make sure it stays just below. Any more _ **engouragement** _ to offer **1920s Style "Death Ray**? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2006, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-owe-money-on-my-taxes-god-damn-it/346722/63 "2006-03-06T13:32:27Z")
> [@1920s Style "Death Ray"](#): > > Ah! Way to engourage people to earn more money :rolleyes: Not really fair. As I keep saying in this thread, nobody else really knows everything about another’s financial situation. That’s why you shouldn’t rely on anybody else’s understandings of your tax situation. Or their moral judgements of it. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2006, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-owe-money-on-my-taxes-god-damn-it/346722/64 "2006-03-06T14:51:47Z")
> [@Brain Wreck](#): > > Not really fair. As I keep saying in this thread, nobody else really knows everything about another’s financial situation. That’s why you shouldn’t rely on anybody else’s understandings of your tax situation. > > Or their moral judgements of it. I think you misunderstand my post. It was a sarcastic comment aimed at the Australian Government for making it disadvantageous for someone with a HECS debt to earn more than $36,000. i.e., they are _not_ encouraging **kambuckta** to earn more money. This is bad for **Kambuckta** _and_ the government, which makes it very stupid and short sighted. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2006, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-owe-money-on-my-taxes-god-damn-it/346722/65 "2006-03-06T15:41:35Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > Taxes are due on April 15th. If you can arrainge otherwise, there’s no reason to give the Feds an interest-free loan until then. > BTW, we figured it out…my super new 2nd job (good pay, little work) just bumped us into the top tax bracket. Yes, but as has been pointed out- if you owe a lot, you’ll owe a penalty. One should arrange things so that you get a small refund, say $200. The interest on $200 (if you deposited that $200 bit by bit equally over a year into a passbook account)- could be spent in a gumball machine. **Eonwe** - **jesuslynch** is correct. Many expenses can be deducted without actual reciepts. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2006, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-owe-money-on-my-taxes-god-damn-it/346722/66 "2006-03-06T23:43:24Z")
> [@1920s Style "Death Ray"](#): > > I think you misunderstand my post. It was a sarcastic comment aimed at the Australian Government for making it disadvantageous for someone with a HECS debt to earn more than $36,000. i.e., they are _not_ encouraging **kambuckta** to earn more money. This is bad for **Kambuckta** _and_ the government, which makes it very stupid and short sighted. Oh, my mistake. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2006, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-owe-money-on-my-taxes-god-damn-it/346722/67 "2006-03-07T00:19:39Z")
> [@Brain Wreck](#): > > Oh, my mistake. :smack: No worries :). ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2006, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-owe-money-on-my-taxes-god-damn-it/346722/68 "2006-03-07T00:27:39Z")
Heh. You should try it in the U.K.: 23% main tax rate, plus 17.5% VAT (sales tax), and something like a 300% tax on petrol (which **really** hits commuters). But I did my tax this year and got a letter back saying I owed (approx) US $1. I mean, why bother? ---
**Author:** ![Tower\_Dweller](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@Tower\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tower_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2006, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-owe-money-on-my-taxes-god-damn-it/346722/69 "2006-03-09T04:54:42Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > But I did my tax this year and got a letter back saying I owed (approx) US $1. I mean, why bother? When I did my taxes, I owed the feds a couple hundred, which is about where I want it. The kicker, though? I owed the great state of Illinois … $7. It’s going to cost them more than that to process my check. 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-owe-money-on-my-taxes-god-damn-it/346722.md?page=3)