Tax Season 2026 - Redefining Frustration

In this world, nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes!
Benjamin Franklin

by Skip Cohen

I'm doing my best not to make this morning's post a rant, but at the same time, I know what I'm feeling is no different from what many of you feel. I'm tired of not getting what I paid for!

We just did our taxes, and while there was a benefit to the new over-65 deduction, I'm tired of everything being a one-way street. We have a Congress that we all pay for, which can't do the country's budget, let alone agree on anything that would keep the government open without the threat of closure, because they forgot about We the People!

We've got a president who paid a high of $750 in annual taxes from 2015 to 2020, and in several years, it appears to be zero. He recently stated that high oil prices mean we're making more money...but who's the "we?" It's sure not here. Then we've got members of Congress who have all their health benefits forever, but ours just went up again. Now throw in delays and challenges at every airport, and we've decided we're simply not flying anywhere. And all of this is just the tip of the iceberg.

I will pay the taxes I owe, but in my heart I want to contact the IRS, apologize, and request a delay in payment, explaining that our budget team will review what's owed as soon as their back in session. I'm tired of paying for services we don't receive, or if we do, the costs keep going up!

"The difference between death and taxes is death doesn't get worse every time Congress meets."
Will Rogers

“If Patrick Henry thought that taxation without representation was bad,
he should see how bad it is with representation.”
Farmer’s Almanac
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And that's my "two cents" for this year's tax season. Thanks for letting me rant.