I just did my taxes. It took less time than I'd thought, which was good.
The fed taxes, as usual, were pretty clear. I was able to breeze through them, with this year's wrinkle (there's always one new thing, somehow), taxes paid to a foreign government (working for a multi-national corporation headquartered in England that tries to ensure every employee is also a stock-holder...). Luckily, since the amount was so tiny ($2.01), I didn't have to fill out any extra forms. And since the stock market sucked rocks, there weren't any capital gains to worry about, which saved me filling out not only a form for the feds, but a really nasty (3-page) form for the state.
Despite this, I still owe the state money. Not a lot, granted, but some. This, despite the reduction in the tax rate (although, as Treacle_Well pointed out, we had the option of paying at the old, higher rate, if we wanted to. Thanks, ever so much.). That's because, while they reduced the tax rate, they also reduced the deductions. Last year, a person filing singly got $4400 off, while this year, it was $3300. Had they not reduced it, they would've owed me a nice chunk of change. *sigh*
Another quibble with the state tax forms: who decided to have people sign on the front of the form? Not only is it strange to have it there in the middle, it also breaks up a chunk of calculations, which will lead to math errors, I'm sure. Brilliant design decision.
Still, it's done (except for photocopying and sending in, which will happen tomorrow).
Now to focus on Pesach prep. The oven's already on self-clean...
The fed taxes, as usual, were pretty clear. I was able to breeze through them, with this year's wrinkle (there's always one new thing, somehow), taxes paid to a foreign government (working for a multi-national corporation headquartered in England that tries to ensure every employee is also a stock-holder...). Luckily, since the amount was so tiny ($2.01), I didn't have to fill out any extra forms. And since the stock market sucked rocks, there weren't any capital gains to worry about, which saved me filling out not only a form for the feds, but a really nasty (3-page) form for the state.
Despite this, I still owe the state money. Not a lot, granted, but some. This, despite the reduction in the tax rate (although, as Treacle_Well pointed out, we had the option of paying at the old, higher rate, if we wanted to. Thanks, ever so much.). That's because, while they reduced the tax rate, they also reduced the deductions. Last year, a person filing singly got $4400 off, while this year, it was $3300. Had they not reduced it, they would've owed me a nice chunk of change. *sigh*
Another quibble with the state tax forms: who decided to have people sign on the front of the form? Not only is it strange to have it there in the middle, it also breaks up a chunk of calculations, which will lead to math errors, I'm sure. Brilliant design decision.
Still, it's done (except for photocopying and sending in, which will happen tomorrow).
Now to focus on Pesach prep. The oven's already on self-clean...