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Posts Tagged ‘taxes’

So Very Monday

Posted in Other, tagged , , , on April 14, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Well, I’ve started off the day with a tax-related injury, words I never thought I’d say. Not serious but it is kind of funny.

Thanks, Monday!

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Photo by Recha Oktaviani on Unsplash

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An Absolute Treasure

Posted in Other, tagged , , , , , , on February 17, 2025| Leave a Comment »

I recently had a bit of tax-related drama. I believe I’ve mentioned that I pay taxes in two countries, and that doing said taxes can be a bit of a pain. That’s particularly true when one receives unexpected mail from a tax agency requesting a complicated document within a given time frame. 

All fine and good, except when the request gets stuck in the mail during a postal strike and that deadline is now looming.

I reached out to my accountant in a bit of a panic and heard back from her right away. Not only was she familiar with the form that needed to be filled out, but she could do it that day.

The whole process took about an hour in an otherwise unremarkable afternoon, but it brought home the value of people who are able and willing. 

I wrote a note thanking her for being an absolute treasure.

Accounting is her profession, of course, and maybe this wasn’t a big deal for her. That said, her timely and thoughtful help was a big deal for me.

In a world that is often dark, it’s worth trying to bring a little light.

The nice part? This isn’t about heroism or constant perfection. It’s about doing what you can, where you can. 

If we can do that, we can all be treasures too.

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Photo by Braxton Apana on Unsplash

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No Flaming Moats Required

Posted in Other, tagged , , , on June 17, 2024| Leave a Comment »

/Hmm, I drafted this piece around tax time but don’t seem to have posted it. Now seems like as good a time as any.

There are a lot of ways to make a difference in the world. Recently, I was finishing up a ream of paperwork and thinking about taxes.

We saw a Stephen Colbert skit about billionaire doomsday bunkers and the bit that caught my attention (aside from the flaming moats and water cannons) was the idea that these billionaires must at some level feel that they have no control over the future.

Note that I said “feel.” It’s not that they don’t actually have power. Because they do. The rich have spent decades ensuring that economic power equals political power, and they are happy to exercise that power in ways that further enrich and otherwise benefit them. 

Let’s be real. Not only are they doing just fine, they could do more to benefit others as well.

How? Support democracy, work to reduce inequality, or, if all that seems like too much work and time away from their flaming moats, they could pay taxes like the rest of us.

As Warren Buffet has famously noted, he paid a lower tax rate than his secretary. 

If more of us were doing fine, then billionaires would be better off too. Because you only need a flaming moat if someone is mad at you.

And if you have the power to make a mess, you also have the power to clean it up.

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Photo by Kees Streefkerk on Unsplash

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Softening Reality

Posted in Other, tagged , , , , , , on March 20, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Yesterday’s post was a long one and right now, the federal tax institutions of two countries are calling my name. Also my wallet.

So today we have a technique using Affinity Photo to make a picture look more like a painting. Compare the original vs. modified versions below and you’ll see that the method isn’t exact, but it’s a quick and easy way to take the edges off reality.

(And the way taxes usually go, that will probably come in handy;)

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Original Photo by David Clode on Unsplash
Original Photo by zhengtao tang on Unsplash

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Also, I like birds and fish. Enjoy your weekend!

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