Tax Day!!

I love filing my tax returns. No, I am not Katherine Hepburn in Adam's Rib or one of those classic black & white films. I really do.

When I was a child, I was always puzzled why people went to H&R Block. Once a year, my mom, like so many busy people, waited until there was a mad rush, dashed down to the local H&R Block, waited all afternoon for her return, then found out how much she would have to pay. (I don't know what it is about living in NY, but I have never met any New Yorker who actually received a refund. I am sure those people exist. I just believe that I do not know any of them.)

My mom went to H&R Block, not because she could not decipher the tax code, but because she was convinced that H&R Block was part of the shadow arm of the IRS, and she treated H&R Block like Tony Curtis in Hollywood Babylon. Tell all and let the audience sort through it. She had nothing to hide because she believed that cheating on your taxes was tantamount to a civic deadly sin.

I think that she is right incidentally. I was partly influenced by her rah-rah attitude towards the IRS, but now that I work for a state agency which will remain nameless, I could not agree more. Why should I pay so the tax cheater may have nice roads and free health care? If you disagree with how the government spends our money, then vote differently. (Oh, wait, you already have.) We are paying far less than the average European.

I also think that being an attorney helps. When I took Tax Law with Professor Warren, literally one of the best professors at HLS, I knew that I was hooked. I may not practice tax law, but he certainly made it tempting. His class was always full even though his class was at an insanely early time for the average law student, 8 AM. (Now, that I have to wake up at 6:24 AM, I realize how pampered we were.)

In addition, I am blessed to usually get a tax refund. Positive reinforcement helps. I had to pay one year, and if I did not save money regularly, I imagine that it could make my financial situation rather precarious so I can sympathize with people who feel robbed of their life savings.

Nevertheless, I love filing my tax returns. On February 1, I immediately assess my situation. Did my employer mail my W-2? Did any of my financial institutions forget to send me a 1099? Did all my student loan "providers" post my 1098 online? Where are my receipts for charitable contributions?

Once I know that I have everything, I usually spend a leisurely Friday evening surrounded by piles of paper while typing in numbers on my little calculator. The IRS and MADOR websites are usually open in adjacent windows on my computer screen. Loud music is blaring from my stereo and/or I am watching something on television.

I do not even consider usuing one of those new fangled tax software programs that the kids are raving about. Instead, I have two sets of all the forms that I need. I do not want anything separating me from the magic. Once I'm done, I photocopy everything so I have a copy of everything. Then I wait breathlessly at my mailbox for the tax refund, which usually arrives two weeks later because I have filed fairly early.

Yes, I am a tax geek, and I don't care who knows. Good luck everyone & Happy April 15th!