Taxing Times
I just finished doing the taxes for last year. When approached properly, doing one's income taxes is a sort of financial "count your blessings" exercise. It's especially bittersweet when you realize now earn too much to qualify for some deductions and credits you used a few years ago. On the one hand, you're paying more in taxes. On the other, you're no longer the "po folks" those deductions were designed to help.
All told, I think I'm happier not qualifying any longer, than I would be if my income was low enough to qualify for the old tax write-offs. I'm pretty sure I'd be still happier with my income, if I qualified for the "soak the rich" provisions. I'm not sure I'd have this perspective, though, if I hadn't effectively been living below the poverty line from mid-2001 through late 2004, and then spent 2006 working three part-time jobs at once.
All told, I think I'm happier not qualifying any longer, than I would be if my income was low enough to qualify for the old tax write-offs. I'm pretty sure I'd be still happier with my income, if I qualified for the "soak the rich" provisions. I'm not sure I'd have this perspective, though, if I hadn't effectively been living below the poverty line from mid-2001 through late 2004, and then spent 2006 working three part-time jobs at once.