No Taxation Without Representation

We all know the famous saying from our American History classes. "No taxation without representation!" It is one of the grievances that the American colonists had with Great Britain in the mid-1700s regarding their rights, freedoms, and liberties as Brits; but most importantly, as human beings. After that, there was a Declaration of Independence, a Revolutionary War, an Articles of Confederation, and a Constitution + a Bill of Rights and the rest is history. Now, we have representation and we pay taxes; not only to our municipalities but also to our states and the federal government.

I have never paid much attention to where my taxes dollars were going. I simply knew that the government took money out of my checks and then I got some of it back at the end of the year. It is actually a pretty sweet deal in my opinion. It is almost like an inconspicuous savings account that really comes in handy when you need it. As an "adult," out of college and on my own, I have started to wonder more about my tax dollars. I have started asking myself questions like: What are they being spent on? Am I in favor of what they are being spent on? Am I electing representatives I can trust with my tax dollars?

As a college student, my equivalent was worrying about how my Student Activities Fee and Tuition money were being spent. That is all so trivial now. Taxes are the real deal. However, in college, I knew the people I was electing to the Student Senate personally, I attended the Student Senate meetings weekly, and I always made my opinion perfectly clear whether they liked it or not. I was hated for it sometimes but they wouldn't have named me an Honorary Senator if they hated me that much. I digress.

Living in the DC area has caused me to think much more about my tax dollars which I otherwise forget about. After the controversy surrounding the potential government shutdown, I definitely started paying more attention to my tax dollars. It was interesting to see what the Republicans wanted to cut from the budget versus what the Democrats wanted to cut from the budget as well as what each party wanted to preserve. Politics are funny. Everyone is full of it. You just need to decide whether or not you agree with what a candidate is full of when voting. Again, I digress.

This post is about Tax Day which is now long gone as we move forward into the Spring. Did you file your taxes? I hope so because the deadline was April 18th and we all know the IRS is no joke. Danielle and I made sure we filed our taxes on time. It was the first time either of us had to file our taxes on our own without the help of our family. My grandmother used to take my W-2s and all that stuff to her tax guy and he would file my taxes. Danielle's grandfather used to do her taxes. So, this was new for the both of us. We tried to cut some corners financially and go to a little tax place that was not H&R Block or Jackson Hewitt. It was owned and operated by some Ethiopian men in this old office building in Alexandria. I was a little sketched out by the location but they say "don't judge a book by it's cover," right?

I was kind of paranoid throughout the whole session with the tax guy. I felt bad because I was like right over his shoulder and breathing down his neck while he filled out all these forms. However, it's a good thing I did because there were definitely a couple of typos I caught. Of course, I had him fix them; and with each typo, I because more and more intense about being over his shoulder. I think I was being a little creepy. Oh well, I didn't want him to mess up my taxes. If he did mess up on those forms, the IRS is going to come after me and I would NOT want that. That kind of stuff makes me a little nervous.

The best part is that he started with Danielle's forms and I was the one making sure he was on his A-game. Danielle thought I was being overbearing but like I said, the IRS is no joke. By the time he got to my forms, he knew better. There was only like one or two typos in my forms that I caught and made him correct. There were a few points where he was ready to move on to the next form and I would catch something I had questions about just as he clicked to the next screen and I made him go back so that he could address my question and I could get my piece of mind.

I definitely do not feel bad anymore after typing all of this out. I am glad I was on this Ethiopian tax guy like a hawk. If there is some discrepancy in my taxes and the IRS contacts me, I will definitely dedicate a post to that and I WILL be contacting my Ethiopian tax guy. As for now, everything is copacetic. Danielle and I got our tax returns and we spent it wisely. I have a few tips for you regarding filing your taxes. Follow these tips and you are sure to be less stressed out and nervous about the whole process.

1. Be proactive
• You do NOT want to wait until the last minute to file your taxes. The longer you wait, the more backed up places that file taxes will get. When you file early, you do not have to be burdened with a high volume of people trying to get an appointment or meet with a tax professional before you. Like my favorite U.S. President John Fitzgerald Kennedy once said, "The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining."
2. Do your research
• You should do some research to determine the best option for you when filing your taxes. The goal of your research should to be, first, to determine if you can handle doing it yourself via TurboTax or one of those free and/or online tax preparation systems OR if you would feel more comfortable having a tax professional take care of you and your taxes. From there, you could always go to an H&R block or a Jackson Hewitt. I chose a small business to help me out. In those cases, you need to research the business and find reviews online to ensure their capability and reliability. Everyone, nowadays, loves to blog and post reviews about their experiences with people, places, and things. Thus, you are bound to find a review about a business somewhere online. Google helped me with that.
3. Be prepared
• You should be sure to gather everything you are going to need to file your taxes. In my case, I only needed my W-2s and a valid Driver's License. It can be more complicated for some people. How? I am not sure because my life and finances have not gotten to that point yet. You should do some research about this also or you could ask your tax professional and/or even the IRS prior to meeting with them to file your taxes. You should definitely ask what you are going to need to bring with you.
4. Spend wisely
• You should have a plan for your tax refund. What are you going to do with it? Are you going to spend it on something right away? Are you going to save it? It is your money, thus, it is up to you. I spent mine on plane tickets, a new computer, and I paid off the rest of my bursar bill at my University. Now, the University will actually send me my final transcript and my diploma. Yeah, even though I have earned it, I still have not gotten it. They were holding it hostage and I just paid the ransom.

Taxes do not have to be stressful. Be proactive, do your research, be prepared, and spend wisely. That's all you need to remember next year and every year when Tax Day creeps up on you. In the meantime, keep an eye on your elected officials. They are the people deciding how your tax dollars are spent. You may be apathetic to the democratic process or to politics in general but you should keep yourself informed. After all, some Americans do not have representation in Congress and still have to pay federal taxes. This is the case for the citizens of the District of Columbia. Their license plates read "Washington, D.C.; Taxation Without Representation."

I am glad I don't live in D.C.

Sincerely,

J.A.B.