Did you see this, and the first thing you thought was, “It’d be nice to be emancipated from taxes!”
No such luck, so sorry. Unless of course your income falls below the threshold for paying taxes.
That amount isn’t enough to live on decently, though, so let’s assume you’re paying.
As am I. As are all of our valued clients, though certainly in the last two cases a lot less than we could be!
You see, I have a few tricks up my sleeve. All perfectly legal, too. I love what I do!
But, as is so often the case, I digress.
Let’s talk about emancipation.
In this case, it’s the famous one, that Honest Abe risked losing a big chunk of the country over.
He was right, and a genius in hindsight. Certainly at the time too, though I’m betting with a lot of dissension on that point.
They celebrate Emancipation Day in Washington D.C. on the anniversary of the signature of the Emancipation Proclamation on April 16, 1862, and the African-American community of the District has been celebrating the day with parades ever since 1866, when they openly could.
This needs to not be messed with, in my humble opinion. The very idea that any of our fellow human beings ever needed to be set free and considered whole and human in the first place is disgusting. No sane argument is possible on this point.
Now, we wander into the weird rules that we can make around holiday observances in our great nation.
When the 16th falls on a Saturday the District of Columbia celebrates Emancipation Day on the nearest weekday. Friday the 15th. The Department of the Treasury’s main HQ is in D.C. So…the 15th becomes a holiday, and we all get a break on Tax Day until the 18th.
The year following, assuming it’s not a leap year, the 16th is a Sunday, the 17th is observed, and Tax Day is AGAIN the 18th, only this time on Tuesday.
Isn’t this swell and awesome?!?
That’s exactly the case for 2022 and 2023. Therefore, we’re going to have four years in a row that Tax Day does not actually fall on April 15th. 2020 and 2021 because of legislation in response to the Dreaded Virus, of course.
I love this reason why so much I made the decision to drag you down the rabbit hole with me for a few moments.
C’mon, it’s kinda cool, right?
Nearly as important in my mind is the final, Fourth Quarter, Estimated Tax payment deadline which normally falls on January 15th.
Not in 2022, though, ladies and Germans.
In this case the IRS code that states deadlines occur the following weekday falls back into service, without the special rule D.C. uses. In this case the 15th is on a Saturday.
But Martin Luther King’s birthday observance is on the 17th, so we’re getting a break all the way until Tuesday, January 18th, 2022.
I decided upon figuring all this out early that this was kind of special. 2022 is a unique year.
These two deadlines are both going to be three days later than usual, and in both cases because of the cause of civil rights in America.
We’re in the middle of what my mind keeps insisting on thinking of as “Gratitude Month,” and I want to feel deep gratitude for the progress of our nation toward the ideal of One Race.
The all-too-slow, but nevertheless gradually-evolving progress.
This One Race of which I speak is Human. Of course.
If you draw blood out of an Asian person, an African person, a European person and a Native American you are going to find undeniable commonality in their DNA.
We are all related.
The sooner we stop thinking of ourselves and each other as different from each other, or easily categorized, the more I’ll like it.
You should, too.
Do you remember the phrase, probably first introduced in middle school or high school or during those years, about America as The Great Melting Pot?
We are a nation of immigrants. Remember that.
If you are not a 100% Native American, and you live in America, you are either descended from immigrants, or your ancestors were forced to be here.
The pilgrims, those fine folks that supposedly prompted out festive food celebration on the fourth Thursday of every November were by definition immigrants.
Some simple memes hit home perfectly, though I wonder if everyone sees these things exactly the way I do. But I’m going to quote one now, sorry, no idea who to cite this to:
“If you are an American, your heritage is either Native American, slave, refugee or immigrant. That’s it.”
Oh, and guess what? If you make more than the standard deduction, y’all are paying taxes, too!
I take this time today to celebrate our amazing diversity as a nation. People of all colors, religions, and ethnicities have contributed to the Story of America in often remarkable ways, and I celebrate that.
That, and the fact that we all get three extra days to figure out our last Estimated Tax payment, and to settle up the remainder and file, too!
It’s going to be a great year, 2022.
Of course, this one isn’t over yet, either.
We have a little over half of the Fourth Quarter left to crush our goals for 2021.
Let’s do this!
And don’t forget to be grateful along the way.