My income tax song

I'm happy to have income on which to pay taxes.

I'm happy to have income on which to pay taxes.

I'm happy to have income on which to pay taxes.

I'm happy to have income on which to pay taxes.

The little song above (perhaps more of a mantra) is what I sing to myself each year as I prepare the information my tax preparer needs to file for me. It works quite nicely to put into perspective the aggravation of the task and the displeasure most of feel in writing out a check to Uncle Sam or Auntie State.

This year I paid enough in federal taxes to pay off my two-year-old car loan. I paid enough in state taxes to pretty much replace all the decrepit, but still functional, appliances in my kitchen and laundry room. I am told that a lot of people pay no taxes at all - those who make less than a certain annual income (I'm OK with that) and those who make so much money they can afford to to pay others for advice on how not to pay taxes at all. (I'm not so OK with that.) I believe income should be considered income whether earned or from investments and be taxed at the same rate.

Like most of us, there are some places I am happy my tax dollars go: to parks, to education, to roads, to police and fire protection. And there are some ways I am less happy about my tax dollars being spent: a too-large military, corporate subsidies, legal battles in legislatures. I wish minimum wage was high enough that my taxes did not need to go to helping workers with food, housing, and child care - even if a Big Mac cost a little more. I wish we lived in a society where we all took care of those in our families better so the government didn't have to. But to each his/her own. 

Overall, I am grateful that I have income on which to pay taxes. Try my little song next April 15th. See if it works for you.