Finally sat down and did my taxes this afternoon and evening. With the past year being complicated with unemployment and new (to me) Social Security income and the stimulus money and everything, I didn't know what to expect. I usually get a a little back, but not enough to even talk about, but I've been burned a couple times too in some oddball, one off situations.
Looks like I'm one of the 47%. Getting all the Federal income tax I paid back (and even getting a little back from Indiana). I think this has happened once before in the last 20 or so years, but that was at a time when I was barely keeping my head above water what with paying for health insurance (pre ACA) and taking an income hit with reduced wages during the Great Recession. This time around, that's not the case. The enhanced unemployment I got and the stimulus checks and the Social Security I got at the end of the year more than made up for the income hits I took with the six weeks full furlough and later reduced hours.
I've always felt that damn near everyone, even low income people like me, should have some skin the game, even if it's just a token amount. My refund isn't life changing (for most of you it would be pocket change) but it will be a nice little boost to my checking account balance, equal to about six weeks of my lame delivery job wages.
While I'm not upset by any means, I'm not pleased, either. I don't need the money, and would have been fine with breaking even (which is what I always hope for). I'm not sure what it should be, but I think I should be paying my fair share, and I know that zero isn't it.
Looks like I'm one of the 47%. Getting all the Federal income tax I paid back (and even getting a little back from Indiana). I think this has happened once before in the last 20 or so years, but that was at a time when I was barely keeping my head above water what with paying for health insurance (pre ACA) and taking an income hit with reduced wages during the Great Recession. This time around, that's not the case. The enhanced unemployment I got and the stimulus checks and the Social Security I got at the end of the year more than made up for the income hits I took with the six weeks full furlough and later reduced hours.
I've always felt that damn near everyone, even low income people like me, should have some skin the game, even if it's just a token amount. My refund isn't life changing (for most of you it would be pocket change) but it will be a nice little boost to my checking account balance, equal to about six weeks of my lame delivery job wages.
While I'm not upset by any means, I'm not pleased, either. I don't need the money, and would have been fine with breaking even (which is what I always hope for). I'm not sure what it should be, but I think I should be paying my fair share, and I know that zero isn't it.