Required Tax Season Gripes

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

So I did my taxes alone for the first time this year. I opted for the 1040EZ. Last year I made $600 from federal returns, and $200 from state. This year I PAID the feds $170 and the state $40. Can’t they give you one year where you break even? Dammit. I just won’t eat this month, I guess. (off to read the cheap food thread)

Actually, the thing that pisses me off the most is I am not getting my renter’s rebate. In Vermont, you get can get a percentage of your household salary back, depending on your rent. Because I was living with an IBM design engineer intern, who was making $18 a hour, I don’t qualify because it takes your HOUSEHOLD income into account. I get nothing from that.

But next year, man. Next year I’m gonna clean up. I’m living alone now, and making no money. Yah00ie!

A little persistance goes a long way. Announcing:

“I go on guilt trips a couple of time a year. Mom books them for me.” A custom made Wally .sig!

2

Yeah! That’ll show 'em. That line made me laugh SR.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. I’d rather owe money than be owed, as long as I have it planned out to have the available money to pay the tax without creating any undue hardship.

By the way, how much worse would paying taxes feel if we all got to keep our total paychecks and then had to write a lump sum check for taxes at the end of the year?

Coming soon to a sig line near you!
Relive the mundane highs, the flaming lows, and the pointless posts in between. Announcing the debut of the best of Mullinator.

Because it’s not just a sig, it’s an adventure.

3

If we did that, or even paid quarterly, there would be a march on Washington like nothing ever seen. 535 people would be looking for work soon.
The gov’t likes withholding, because we don’t feel the hit in the wallet. Many people actually believe that getting a tax refund is money the gov’t is giving them. Wake up people! It is YOUR money you are getting back!

4

Actually, I’m glad there’s withholding, because I am a slack, undisciplined, financial fool. The only way I can manage taxes without going completely loopy is to claim no exemptions and take out an extra $25 a paycheck. That way, when tax time comes around, I get a nice big, fat refund.

Yes, I know it’s my money.

Yes, I know it didn’t earn any interest at all.

But if it had been in my savings account, it wouldn’t have lasted two weeks.

And yes, I do need to learn some financial discipline. I know this is costing me oodles of money.

5

**Mullinator: ** By the way, how much worse would paying taxes feel if we all got to keep our total paychecks and then had to write a lump sum check for taxes at the end of the year?

It sucks!

Part of one year, I claimed 10 dependants. This basically zeroes out your federal withholding. I was just going to do it for a couple of months, but then I got used to the larger paychecks. At tax time, I owed $5000. :frowning:

I started getting refunds again, then I got married. ZAP! Even though my wife and I both claimed zero, we ended up owing.

So the last couple of years, I had $100-300 extra withheld each month to make sure I wouldn’t owe. This year, they owe me $500.

This year, my wife quit and we’ve had a child, so I changed my withholding accordingly. The $120 extra a week is nice. But at least this year I really do have dependants to write off. :smiley:

You must unlearn what you have learned. – Yoda

6

Buy a house. I’ve claimed 9 dependents on my W4 for the past year, and I’m getting $200 back. All cuz o’ that house and all the interest I pay on it.

Last year, I got something like 7K back - that’s when I upped the dependents. Nice to get $$ back, but much nicer to have it all year round.

7

This year’s the first time I ended up owing money: $120 to Uncle Sam and $50 to the state. I went over the form something like five times, I was so convinced I’d screwed up the math somewhere.

It sucks going from getting a couple hundred bucks back to having to shell out a couple hundred bucks. :frowning:

TMR
If you believed in yourself, and tore enough holes
in your pants, there was always a mist-filled alley
right around the corner.

8

I came out pretty good this year. Only getting $280 back from federal, and paid $5.00 in state.

9

I’m with phouka here.

I’m an undisciplined procrastinator when it comes to finances, especially taxes. I’m amazed that I started doing my taxes before the deadline this year. Maybe tomorrow I will finish them.

10

I (ouch!) wrote (ooh!) a big check (eek!) last night (aackk!) about 11:00 p.m. (oof!) after putting it off (ugh!) for as long as possible.

A pox on the IRS, congress, the White House, state and local representatives, anyone remotely associated with the U.S. Gov’t (except for the men and women in the armed services – they have my undying respect). And this from an employee of one of the largest defense contractors in the nation, solidly enmeshed in the military-industrial complex. Boo! Hiss! Get rid of the bums!

There. My little rebellion has subsided. I’m okay till this time next year. Please, sir, may I have another?

“When you wake up in the morning, Pooh,” said Piglet at last, “what’s the first thing you say to yourself?”
“What’s for breakfast?” said Pooh. “What do you say, Piglet?”
“I say, I wonder what’s going to happen exciting today?” said Piglet.
Pooh nodded thoughtfully.
“It’s the same thing,” he said.

11

Gdamned fing IRS and worthless ccksuckers in congress. I work hard to earn my money and I still have to pay in another $430. My sister on the other hand gets back 1.5 times what she paid in. She gets four thousand back! Taking from the rich to give to the poor so that everyone gets the same living. Robin Hood or communism?

12

I’m with phouka, I’m such a financial moron, I need them to withhold. And while I realise it is my money, it would have been spent and gone by the time April rolls around. My refund is always a surprise.

Except this year, the bastards. It’s enough to turn a girl into a republic…WOAH! That was close! :smiley:

I have a friend who went overseas with the Army, and before she left, she declared herself a legal resident of Texas, because apparently the residency requirements are pretty lax, and they have no state income tax. Anyone care to varify?

A little persistance goes a long way. Announcing:

“I go on guilt trips a couple of time a year. Mom books them for me.” A custom made Wally .sig!

13

C’mon SR. Join us on the other side. The weather’s nice, the taxes are lower, and the government is less intrusive.

Plus the Republican party needs more good looking women with an insanely quick wit and intellect.

(not flirting, I swear. She’s just one of my fave posters.)

14

Sorry Mully. While the affection is reciprocated, there is screaming liberal that lives not too far from the surface of my skin. Pro-gun control, pro-choice, pro-freedom to marry for homosexuals. Somehow I don’t think I’d fit in with the Republican party. (Compassionate as George W. claims it to be…) Besides, I grew up in the only state with an Independant congressman. He’s too liberal for the Democrates! And I support him.

Damn, I hyjacked my own thread.

A little persistance goes a long way. Announcing:

“I go on guilt trips a couple of time a year. Mom books them for me.” A custom made Wally .sig!

15

I can’t verify that; I have no idea if you have any real friends outside of this board.

Okay, that smug wise-assism out of the way (and only made because you left yourself wide open for it; I have no doubt about the multitude of friends you have outside of this board), I can verify that. One of my friends is a legal resident of Texas despite ten years of living in the DC-Balto area. One of the perks of military careerism is getting to choose any home state in the Union to be your own. He chose Texas for the extremely low tax rates; the disadvantage to this is that he can’t vote for or against any of the local Maryland politicians who actually make decisions that affect him- he has to file an absentee ballot for Texas.

As for my tax gripe- thank you, Maryland, for writing one of the most confusing simple forms I’ve ever seen. No instructions were made in any way specific or clear; and far too many instructions saying “copy this from your Federal form.” Great if you’ve already done your Federal form and haven’t sent it in; sucks to be you if you haven’t done them yet or decided to be prompt and responsible and mailed it away.

JMCJ

“Y’know, I would invite y’all to go feltch a dead goat, but that would be abuse of a perfectly good dead goat and an insult to all those who engage in that practice for fun.” -weirddave, set to maximum flame

16

I got this in my e-mail. While I can’t verify it, it is entertaining.

17

Well, I shoulda made out okay, since I only worked half of the year last year, but I got screwed by state taxes. I worked part of the year in Seattle, and since the state of Washington doesn’t have income tax, none was witheld. But since I moved back to Oregon, the state is claiming that I can be taxed on everything I made in Washington.
I’m just glad I wasn’t living somewhere else that had income tax, as I don’t see how I would have gotten out of paying double.

http://www.madpoet.com
I am human, and I need to be loved
Just like anybody else does

18

DWB: you DO know that claiming excess witholding allowances can get you put in jail?

Danielsmith: that letter is an Urban Legend, but funny, ntl.

Of the 40 industrialized nations, ALL have an Income Tax. In overall Tax burden, the US ranks 39th, Turkey is 40th. So the solution is simple: move to a non-ind. nation, or Turkey!

19

I’m mad because I lost almost $10000 when a company I was working for went bankrupt without paying me. I was expecting to claim it as a loss, but Uncle Sam doesn’t consider lost wages a loss.

Alcohol is the answer to, and the cause of, all of life’s problems.

20

Helpful tax tip: Make photocopies of your returns before you send them in.