A Year of Blogging: April 15, 2011

April 15 in the US is traditionally Tax Day. It's the deadline to file your taxes. Taxes must be filed by midnight on April 15. Employers have to give your W2 to you by January 31. Most of us have all the forms we need by the end of January or the first couple of days of February, yet there are so many people who wait until the very last minute to file their taxes. I don't understand this. I understand it if you have to pay, because you want to hold onto your money as long as you can. I usually get a refund, so I file my taxes as soon as possible because I want my money! I did slip a little this year and forget to file the city taxes at the same time I did the others. I can't do the city taxes through Turbo tax, and so I forgot about them. Thankfully, Erich reminded me and I got them out just in time. I never owe the city, or get a refund. The city actually pays people to do your returns for you. I tried doing my returns a couple of years, and the city people kept correcting it. I gave up, and now I just send my W2 and sign the form, and let them do it. They are getting paid for it. My tax dollars at work! Post Offices used to stay open longer on April 15. Post Offices in the big cities, such as Cincinnati, would keep a couple of branches open until midnight, with postal workers standing outside to take the envelopes from citizens. This year, none of the Cincinnati post offices were open that late. People are filing their taxes online, so the post office doesn't need to extend their hours. Of course, this year, Tax Day was extended to April 18. This year, Washington D.C. celebrated Emancipation Day on April 15, instead of on the 16th which was a Saturday. Since it was a public holiday in DC, the rest of the country got a break. And I'm sure there were plenty of people who needed those extra three days!