“You don’t pay taxes — they take taxes!”
Folks, have you ever experienced buyer’s remorse? You know, that nagging feeling you get after spending your hard-earned cash on something you think you need. Often this comes with the purchase of a new car or appliance. On the showroom floor things look so much better than when they are sitting in your driveway or on your counter.
Well, today I’m feeling all kinds of buyer’s remorse, because this week I decided to schedule my yearly visit with my accountant and get my taxes done. Now I realize that no one wants to spend their day off sitting in an office dancing around deductibles, but let’s face it, I wouldn’t look good in prison scrubs on charges of tax evasion. Actually, I’d probably look quite pretty in an orange jumpsuit — hence my avoidance of ever being in one — but that’s a whole different topic altogether.
Truth be told, like most of you I hate paying taxes — but not for the reasons you might think. My unpleasantness comes from the fact that I have no idea what I’m actually spending my money on. I mean, if I go to a restaurant for dinner, at the end of my supper they bring me the check that shows everything that was eaten on my plate. But with taxes? I have no idea what it is that I’m forced to digest. I’ve always been told that my money is used to pay for social necessities like the police and fire departments or government employees, but if that’s the case…
