Get Out of Jail Free

It’s tax season and every year we all have to file our taxes. Some of us file our taxes ourselves and others use an accountant. I personally always use Turbotax online, because it’s self explanatory, easy, and you get your money back faster. Our taxes have been filed for weeks now. What’s better than direct deposit right into your bank account?

This year my mom asked me to file my grandmothers taxes for her. Of course I say yes, I mean how difficult can it be. I’ve never had a problem with mine in the past. She gets a pension and social security, sounds basic enough. Well, after hours trying to figure out her taxes I’m just about ready to smash my computer against the wall. It doesn’t help that grandma is breathing down my neck because she’s worried she might owe the IRS some money, and if she owes money she will surely need to go bankrupt, because she is already poor. Why is it that despite how much money older people have they always think they’re poor?

What I’d really like to know is why old people have to file taxes in the first place. Is the government secretly trying to kill them off by giving them all heart attacks? My grandma is 82 years old. I think that by the time you turn 80 everyone should automatically receive a “get out of jail free card.” Don’t you think so? I think they have pretty much earned the right to just let it ride for the time they have left. She has paid her debt to society and deserves to live the rest of her life free and clear. I’m almost positive she’s at home right now trying to watch the 11:00pm news but can’t stop worrying about these taxes. By the time April 15th comes around she will definitely need to restock the Xanax supply.

What is the moral of the story? It’s impossible to beat. We will all be old one day, and yes we too will think we are broke and poor. So be patient with your elders and remember it will one day be you sitting in their chair looking for your “get out of jail free card.”

Just a day in the life...