death and...

Just about everyone who has to pay taxes doesn't like it. To work for the IRS is to beoome a pariah in some circles. I am starting to think that I like the American tax system as it is right now, though.

I have already mentioned this, but the first full year that Golden and I were married we did not fill out our W-4 forms to take into account our differences in salary, so we found that we owed the government quite a bit of money when we filed our taxes that year. Since then we have withheld a lot more money for taxes, and we have gotten nice returns for the past few years.

I used to kind of feel like the tax system was structured to be out to get me. Now I don't feel that way. This is largely because in the first few years of our marriage Golden and I did not have much going for us to lower our tax bill besides some student loan interest. I am definitely not complaining, but the system as it currently is forces those without kids, school bills, and mortgages to subsidize those of us who do have kids, school bills, and mortgages.

The way the system currently is does make some sense. If people have kids they are likely to have less money available to pay taxes than someone without kids. Generally speaking, Americans view home ownership as a good thing, so the associated tax benefits are at least predictable. Finally, education can have a long-term positive impact on the economic prospects of the country. I just would not like it if I were the person providing the subsidy. I am much happier receiving it.

As this is an election year, taxes are probably going to be talked about a lot. Since Golden and I are in a tax bracket that all of the serious candidates are targeting (which is really every tax bracket besides the very top and the very bottom), I do not expect that my taxes will be raised much in the near future. Even with a slight possibility, though, I am a little concerned. I really don't want the gravy train to end.