# Required Tax Season Gripes **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 18, 2000, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/required-tax-season-gripes/16166 "2000-04-18T13:49:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SwimmingRiddles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/43a26b/32.png) [@SwimmingRiddles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SwimmingRiddles)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2000, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/required-tax-season-gripes/16166/1 "2000-04-18T13:49:00Z")
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! ---
**Author:** ![Mullinator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@Mullinator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mullinator)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2000, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/required-tax-season-gripes/16166/2 "2000-04-18T13:55:00Z")
> [@](#): > > But next year, man. Next year I’m gonna clean up. I’m living alone now, and making no money. 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. ---
**Author:** ![Fleetwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fleetwood/32/271_2.png) [@Fleetwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fleetwood)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2000, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/required-tax-season-gripes/16166/3 "2000-04-18T14:02:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by 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? > > \*\* 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! ---
**Author:** ![phouka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c5a1d2/32.png) [@phouka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phouka)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2000, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/required-tax-season-gripes/16166/4 "2000-04-18T14:12:00Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2000, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/required-tax-season-gripes/16166/5 "2000-04-18T14:18:00Z")
\*\*_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. ☹ 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. 😃 You must unlearn what you have learned. – Yoda ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2000, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/required-tax-season-gripes/16166/6 "2000-04-18T14:50:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by AWB: > 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. ☹ 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. ---
**Author:** ![Trout\_Mask\_Replica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a88e57/32.png) [@Trout\_Mask\_Replica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trout_Mask_Replica)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2000, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/required-tax-season-gripes/16166/7 "2000-04-18T15:16:00Z")
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. ☹ **TMR** _If you believed in yourself, and tore enough holes in your pants, there was always a mist-filled alley right around the corner._ ---
**Author:** ![Kat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kat)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2000, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/required-tax-season-gripes/16166/8 "2000-04-19T03:15:00Z")
I came out pretty good this year. Only getting $280 back from federal, and paid $5.00 in state. ---
**Author:** ![Oblio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/c4cdca/32.png) [@Oblio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oblio)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2000, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/required-tax-season-gripes/16166/9 "2000-04-19T03:36:00Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![pluto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f08c70/32.png) [@pluto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pluto)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2000, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/required-tax-season-gripes/16166/10 "2000-04-19T03:43:00Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![danielnsmith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c89c15/32.png) [@danielnsmith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danielnsmith)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2000, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/required-tax-season-gripes/16166/11 "2000-04-19T13:25:00Z")
G **damned f** _ing IRS and worthless c_cksuckers 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? ---
**Author:** ![SwimmingRiddles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/43a26b/32.png) [@SwimmingRiddles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SwimmingRiddles)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2000, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/required-tax-season-gripes/16166/12 "2000-04-19T13:35:00Z")
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! 😃 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! ---
**Author:** ![Mullinator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@Mullinator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mullinator)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2000, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/required-tax-season-gripes/16166/13 "2000-04-19T15:23:00Z")
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.) ---
**Author:** ![SwimmingRiddles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/43a26b/32.png) [@SwimmingRiddles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SwimmingRiddles)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2000, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/required-tax-season-gripes/16166/14 "2000-04-19T15:31:00Z")
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! ---
**Author:** ![John\_Corrado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a88e4f/32.png) [@John\_Corrado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Corrado)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2000, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/required-tax-season-gripes/16166/15 "2000-04-19T15:42:00Z")
> [@](#): > > 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? 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 ---
**Author:** ![danielnsmith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c89c15/32.png) [@danielnsmith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danielnsmith)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2000, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/required-tax-season-gripes/16166/16 "2000-04-19T18:53:00Z")
I got this in my e-mail. While I can’t verify it, it is entertaining. > [@](#): > > Note: Sometimes a story comes along that needs no polishing or enhancement to make it better. This is one of those. It is a real letter submitted to the IRS in the midst of 1995’s weird and bizarre denial of dependents, exemptions and credits. The letter speaks for itself. > ++++++++++++++++++++++++++ > Dear Sirs: > > I am responding to your letter denying the deduction for two of the three dependents I claimed on my 1994 Federal Tax return. Thank you. I have questioned whether or not these are my children for years. They are evil and expensive. It’s only fair that, since they are minors and no longer my responsibility, the government should know something about them and what to expect over the next year. Please do not try to reassign them to me next year and reinstate the deduction. They are yours! > > The oldest, Kristen, is now 17. She is brilliant. Ask her! I suggest you put her to work in your office where she can answer people’s questions about their returns. While she has no formal training, it has not seemed to hamper her mastery of any subject you can name. Taxes should be a breeze. Next year she is going to college. I think it’s wonderful that you will now be responsible for that little expense. While you mull that over, keep in mind that she has a truck. It doesn’t run at the moment, so you have the choice of appropriating some Department of Defense funds to fix the vehicle, or getting up early to drive her to school. Kristen also has a boyfriend. Oh joy! While she possesses all of the wisdom of the universe, her alleged mother and I have felt it best to occasionally remind her of the virtues of abstinence, or in the face of overwhelming passion, safe sex. This is always uncomfortable, and I am quite relieved you will be handling this in the future. May I suggest you reinstate Dr. Jocelyn Elders who had a rather good handle on the problem? > > Patrick is 14. I’ve had my suspicions about this one. His eyes are a little closer together than those of normal people. He may be a tax examiner himself one day, if he is not incarcerated first. In February, I was awakened at three in the morning by a police officer that was bringing Pat home. He and his friends were TP’ing houses. In the future, would you like him delivered to the local IRS office, or to Ogden, UT? Kids at 14 will do almost anything on a dare. His hair is purple. Permanent dye, temporary dye, what’s the big deal? Learn to deal with it. You’ll have plenty of time, as he is sitting out a few days of school for instigating a food fight in the cafeteria. I’ll take care of filing your phone number with the vice-principal. Oh yes, he and all of his friends have raging hormones. This is the house of testosterone and it will be much more peaceful when he lives in your home. DO NOT leave him or his friends unsupervised with girls, explosives, inflammables, inflatables, vehicles, or telephones. (They find telephones a source of unimaginable amusement. Be sure to lock out the 900 and 976 numbers!) > > Heather is an alien. She slid through a time warp and appeared as if by magic one year. I’m sure this one is yours. She is 10 going on 21. She came from a bad trip in the sixties. She wears tie-dyed clothes, beads, sandals, and heir that looks like Tiny Tim’s. Fortunately you will be raising my taxes to help offset the pinch of her remedial reading courses. “Hooked On Phonics” is expensive, so the schools dropped it. But here’s the good news! You can buy it yourself for half the amount of the deduction that you are denying me! It’s quite obvious that we were terrible parents (ask the other two). She cannot speak English. Most people under twenty understand the curious patois she fashioned out of valley girls/boys in the hood/reggae/yuppie/political double speak. The school sends her to a speech pathologist who has her roll her “r’s”. It added a refreshing Mexican/Irish touch to her voice. She wears hats backwards, baggy pants, and wants one of her ears pierced four more times. There is a fascination with tattoos that worries me, but I am sure that you can handle it. Bring a truck when you come to get her, she sort of “nests” in her room and I think that it would be easier to move the entire thing than find out what it is really made of. > > You denied two of the three exemptions, so it is only fair that you get to pick which two you will take. I prefer that you take the youngest two. I will still go bankrupt with Kristen’s college, but then I am free! If you take the two oldest, then I still have time for counseling before Heather becomes a teenager. If you take the two girls, then I won’t feel so bad about putting Patrick in a military academy. Please let me know of you decision as soon as possible, as I have already increased the withholding on my W-4 to cover the $395 in additional tax and made a down payment on an airplane. > > Yours truly, > Bob > ++++++++++++++++++++++++++ > Note: The IRS allowed the deductions and reinstated his refund. ---
**Author:** ![MadPoet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8c91f0/32.png) [@MadPoet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadPoet)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2000, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/required-tax-season-gripes/16166/17 "2000-04-19T20:41:00Z")
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](http://www.madpoet.com) I am human, and I need to be loved Just like anybody else does ---
**Author:** ![Danielinthewolvesden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@Danielinthewolvesden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Danielinthewolvesden)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2000, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/required-tax-season-gripes/16166/18 "2000-04-19T22:06:00Z")
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! ---
**Author:** ![RonaldBarnhardt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bc79bd/32.png) [@RonaldBarnhardt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RonaldBarnhardt)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2000, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/required-tax-season-gripes/16166/19 "2000-04-20T03:34:00Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Kat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kat)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2000, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/required-tax-season-gripes/16166/20 "2000-04-20T05:56:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by John Corrado: > 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. Helpful tax tip: Make photocopies of your returns before you send them in.