Taxes Take A Toll
Posted by Donna Cook on
Tax Day Ruminations
Taxes. Mention the word and there is a collective groan from everyone in the room. Now that tax day has come again, I wanted to post something about this yearly event.
Firstly, the relief of getting it over with is enormous. As a right-brained artist, keeping track of all the dollars in my life is a dreadful burden. Paying my taxes is nothing compared to the torture of getting everything in order first.
Unlike some, I am not opposed to putting money in the pot for the common good. I enjoy the library, want my streets plowed when it snows, use the Interstate when I want to travel, depend on the services of the fire and police and support public education. Still, I know there is shameful waste and misuse of tax dollars, and I can’t help but think there must be a better way to collect and use them efficiently.
On a personal level, paying taxes strikes me as a measure of success or failure of my business acumen. It serves to remind me that I have chosen the life of an artist and not a career in corporate America and that it was a conscious choice. There’s a certain mentality that judges success purely on financial gain, and while I know that is a shallow state of mind, it’s a pervasive one in our culture. When I fill out my taxes, there is no monetary valuation or tax deductions for passion, personal fulfillment or enriching the lives of others.
So there you have it. I have sent in my taxes and am now feeling lighter by the minute. Wishing all of you a beautiful day.
Namaste dear friends,
Donna