It is TAX DAY!!! Yipee!!!
Has she gone crazy? What is up with the exclamation points? These are taxes after all.
Everyone has a different perspective about taxes. My husband views taxes as some sort of theft but I do not agree. As with most things I have a contrary view! I don’t mind paying my taxes. Really, I don’t!
Here are five reasons why I love tax day:
- Assembling my tax filing forces me to put my house in order. I don’t keep track of every penny during the year. But assembling my taxes forces me to update my Quicken and QuickBooks and reconcile my checking accounts. When would I do that if I didn’t have a line in the sand date to focus on?
- I get to look back to see how close I came to my annual projections. Did I really spend that much on books? Ooops. My bad.
- I look forward to be sure my budgeting and spending reflects my goals. This gives me a chance to reinforce the goals I set at New Years and perhaps readjust my expectations or my spending.
- I feel like a part of the community. I am a member of my community, my township, my state, and my country. My taxes make my membership real. I feel like I belong.
- I feel like I contribute to the greater good. My small contribution is combined with other small contributions to turn into schools, roads, and services that help everyone grow stronger.
Adam Smith, the father of modern capitalism, outlined in his book, The Wealth of Nations, the idea that taxes promote an equitable, stable society. Taxes are the solid foundation that supports services that individuals cannot provide efficiently for themselves. It doesn’t make sense to ask me to maintain the road in front of my house. It is much more sensible to ask everyone in the community to pony up to support the services that everyone can use to learn, grow and support their families.