thoughts on the news of the day: taxes

hmmm…..

            Death and taxes – the only two things you can count on – I think it was Benjamin Franklin who first said that.  There is an article today that explains the new laws for 2010 tax returns and the change in the filing date.  Apparently, this year the deadline for filing taxes is April 18 because April 15 is a holiday in the District of Columbia.  Pretty much anyone in our country who earned income last year must file a 2010 tax return; so taxes are inevitable. 

            Will Rogers said that the income tax has made more liars out of the American people than golf has ... and Herman Wouk wrote that income tax returns are the most imaginative fiction being written today.  Tax returns evoke all sorts of emotions and attitudes.  We are tempted to cheat – so that we can get more money back.  We resent paying taxes because we feel like we are paying more than others.  We rationalize our questionable deductions thinking that everyone does it, so why not me?  Then there are the risk takers who don’t pay taxes at all. 

            Jesus said, “Render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s”.  In other words, pay your taxes.  This year when you file your tax return, offer a prayer for all the programs it will benefit.  Thank God for good schools, fire fighters and police officers, the roads we travel on every day.  Sure, there are flaws in our system but going it alone is not an option.  We all have to give our fair share to help run our government.  God has blessed us with a great country, let’s be grateful instead of resentful.

            hmmm…..