Blessed2Bless by Steve Klusmeyer

      Death and Taxes
      by Steve Klusmeyer - 4/15/2003

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      Certain in Life

      image of Man being held upside down and money falling out of his pockets After today you may feel like the man who died and left instructions for his remains to be cremated. He went on to specify, "Put them in an envelope and mail them to the Internal Revenue Service. Write on the envelope, Now you have everything." Apparently he was well aware of the old adage that only two things in life are certain - death and taxes.

      Not many subjects will generate more discussion or disagreement than death and taxes. Albert Einstein once said, "The hardest thing to understand in the world is the income tax." Doesn't give much hope to those of us who tend to be a little more simple minded.

      Tax Facts

      I came across some interesting information concerning taxes:

      • The U.S. Congress enacted the nation's first income tax law in 1862, in order to support the Civil War effort.
      • Ever notice when you combine the two words, The IRS, it spells Theirs.
      • The deadline to file your tax return is April 15th; but Tax Freedom Day will not arrive until April 19th this year. Every penny earned through April 18th will go to support government expenses. After that you can splurge a little on yourself. The good news of sorts is that this is the earliest date since 1992 (along with last year, also April 19th).
      • By the way, April 19th is the anniversary of the first shots of the American Revolution. The shots were fired at Lexington and Concord in 1775 in protest - - - something to do with taxation without representation.

      A Choice

      There is one major difference between death and taxes. It is possible to avoid paying taxes, either by legal loopholes or by fraud. But death cannot be evaded. Each of us will fall prey to its certain arrival. The good news is that we do not have live in fear. We can choose our destiny.

      Learn more about how to be ready for the certainty of death.

      Learn more about the history of the Income Tax in the United States.



      Copyright © 2002 ... to infinity, and beyond — Steve Klusmeyer. All rights reserved.