2 VERY SHORT stories

I want to share two stories about government. One is the federal government, and one is Illinois government. They both relate to taxes. Taxes are a very impassioned, visceral subject. To me, it almost seems like the Republican Party exists just to fight taxes, particularly fight taxes for the rich. Well, the last thing I want to do is issue a diatribe so let’s get on with the two stories.

I filed my federal taxes with 1040 EZ. That is the simplest tax form to use. I checked my income figures at least 3 times. I checked the amount of tax I owed 3 times also. I was pleased to be getting a pretty large tax refund, and I filed extra early, about a week before January 31.

When the federal government, particularly the notorious IRS (Internal Revenue Service) reviewed my very simple, filled-out 1040 EZ, they intervened, but not in a sinister fashion; this is not a story about their sinister ways. They intervened by stating that I forgot to claim my Earned Income Credit. Therefore, my refund was $400 more than I thought it would be.  Later, they sent a letter explaining what they did. 

In one respect, the IRS didn’t have to do that. If they had not intervened, I would have never known the difference. I would have been happy with my tax refund and never gave it a second thought. There have been other stories that I listened to on TV where the IRS has given money to citizens who forget or don’t even know about the Earned Income Credit.

The second story involves an even bigger error that I made. This spring I thought that I filed both my federal and state tax forms. When I prepared my state tax form, I was to get a refund of $4. The problem was that I forgot to file it. With it being well beyond April 15, I am nearly a month late filing my taxes. I went to the Illinois Department of Revenue, in person, and told them about my error. I let them know what I did. I laugh, recalling how they treated me. It reminded me of a little boy going up to a grocery store manager and, in a very ill-at-ease manner, admitting that he stole a peanut. Two of the people in the Revenue Department simply smiled, almost laughed about it. I said if the penalty is giving up the $4 refund that’s fine. The woman looked me in the eyes and said, “oh, you’ll get your refund!” Wow, that is one less thing to worry about.

      One other thing to note: Normally, when I file taxes (& I have done so for the last 25 years), I don’t make any errors, so I don’t want anyone thinking I’m a bumbling idiot when it comes to taxes. I even remember back in the 1990s helping Maribeth with her taxes.

These are not stories you are used to hearing when we think about our government. Indeed, there are true stories of government causing an inordinate amount of grief, even injustice to people. This is one time they treated a citizen like me was treated not only with respect but in a kind manner.