Tax Season Tactics

I'm a fan of getting my taxes done early. Way early. It helps that OSU's due date for FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) submission is March 1 and that the FAFSA requires one's tax information from the previous year, but it's also much less a headache and source of stress than waiting around until April 15.

Apparently, most of my fellow countrymen do not share the same sentiment. The IRS is now reporting that an estimated $300 billion in due taxes goes unpaid every single year -- an average of $2680 per household. In other words, this amount is more than enough to cover the national deficit, pay for Pres. Bush's overseas mistakes, and help rebuild New Orleans. About 70% of that amount comes from underreporting on the part of individual Americans while the remainder can be tagged to businesses, both big and small.

I fail to understand the sense in this. Perhaps it's the fact that I've never made enough money in a year to require a hefty pay-in during the spring, or the fact that my parents raised me better than that (when all else fails, blame it on a good upbringing!), but it seems one of the most moronic things you can do is expose yourself to an audit that potentially could destroy your finances for the rest of your life. Don't get me wrong: I loathe the fact that we as a people allow our government to fleece us for nearly 40% of our collective income by requiring as much in payment for its below-average services, but hasn't the old adage, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's," been proven most wise already?