We had our annual H&R Block appointment to file our taxes yesterday evening. I think of it as tax settlement, after the manner of the equally math-related technical thing called “tithing settlement” over at the church. Filing our taxes was, as it generally is, a mostly painless but ultimately uninteresting yearly event. We left the appointment certain we hadn’t committed any fiscal infractions which might cause us to be audited, so that itself felt like a success.
If you’re a long-time TIE O’ THE DAY reader, you know that my annual tax post is where I happily repeat the claim that I am proud to pay taxes. I co-own this country, with every other citizen who has lived here or ever will live here. I literally pay for it. It’s mine. Furthermore, I assert that every tax dollar I spend buys me more than any other dollar I spend—from roads, libraries, schools, parks, baseball diamonds, airports, cemeteries, police departments, deer hunts, fire departments, the military, national parks, public health research institutions, 911 service, etc. to unseen layers of infrastructure and security for my personal benefit. I could never afford to pay my share of the actual cost of these services I use, even if I forked over my entire paycheck—even if my paycheck was exponentially and astronomically more than it is. A tax dollar spent is a bargain. My dad taught me how to see it this way.
So my taxes are done for the year. And my annual tax post is written and offered up for perusal on TIE O’ THE DAY. My tax work is done here. 💵💸