Tax Day

A reminder of one of the downsides of working is today. In the US, income tax filing is required, though like the last two years, I’m filing an extension today. We’ve procrastinated the gathering of all our information, and as a result, our return isn’t ready.

Taxes are a burden, and I’m not sure how inequitable they are in the US. Personally I’m grateful for the opportunities to succeed in the US, and I feel that paying taxes is part of having the opportunity. Even though I don’t necessarily like everything my tax dollars fund, it’s a balancing act, and I think the US does an OK job of using many tax dollars. As with everything, there’s room for improvement.

This is different from tax freedom day, the day on which you’ve been working all year to meet your tax obligations. that was Monday, Apr 13, for most people. After this day, you’re working the rest of the year for yourself!

One thing I will mention is that there are definitely opportunities for IT folks to get some more deductions. Invest in yourself, educate yourself, any money you spend to improve your career, say a personal laptop, should be deductable, so keep track of things and note where you might be able to save a few dollars.