A Second Opinion: US Tax Deadline: April 15–Simple? No Way!

Tax Day march

By Mary Foran

Well, we have to face it—not all of us have filed our taxes for 2018 yet! The IRS makes sure every year to scare taxpayers into doing their duty—but this year they seem to be the ones who are scared, wondering how they will process returns and payments in a timely manner.

Nowadays, not even the TAX MAN knows what’s what, what with government workers having been furloughed for more than a month in January, and with the threat of more off-time looming in February if Congress doesn’t work out a Mexican border barrier solution to President Donald Trump’s liking.

When Donald Trump was campaigning for President, he promised that tax forms would be the size of postcards, and it would all be a simple process of paying our fair share.

Forms are just as complicated, and the repercussions of government down-time are confusion and frustration among the populace.

Remember the famous saying? “No taxation without representation.” So far in 2019, we have yet to be well-represented!

The most humorous thing about it is, my form is the simplest possible, and I still can’t figure it out! I NEED the IRS experts to help me figure a few things on it properly so I won’t get into trouble with my marginal income. It’s so funny I am beginning to feel sorry for the complicated tax returns Billionaires have to submit!

The worst situation to be in is to be what is called “self-employed”. Then you have to figure all your income and deductions and taxes on your own. It is sad, but true: small businesses get slammed at tax time!

Now, some of you might have already received your refund and are laughing all the way to the bank.

I have chosen the “wait and see” approach, hoping the postcard method would suddenly be implemented before the dreaded deadline!

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Images
Featured image (Tax Day march, 15 April 2017/Fabrice Florin, CC BY-SA2.0. Face blot-out supplied.
Postcard/Jim Burns, PD
Tax Day in chalk/eFile989, CC BY-SA2.0