For many of us the ordeal is over.

Until the next time, which is April 15, 2016.

If you were due a tax refund this year, odds are you filed early. Maybe even spent the money. If not, you may have been one of the poor wretches standing in line yesterday, or driving up to the post office at 11:58 p.m. to get that magic postmark.

Whether you filed Jan. 10, or late yesterday, this is not the end. This is a regular event. For life and in some cases, then some. You will keep doing it each April until either you are out of money, or hit your expiration date. Whichever comes first.

Meantime, bills are advancing in Congress that would make it much easier (and in some instances mandatory) to fire federal worker tax deadbeats. Many if not most federal workers who are behind in their taxes have work out repayment plans. According to the IRS, the number of “deadbeat” feds is in the 1-2 percent range. Question:

When we are talking about federal tax deadbeats, are we talking about rank-and-file federal workers? Or postal employees? Or high-ranking career SESers? Does the list include members of the House and Senate? And their staffers? And does it include White House personnel? Are they all paid up? If not, when can we expect the Secretary of the Department of Whatever to lose his/her car, driver, corner office and be booted out of the building? Or perp-walked to the nearest IRS detention center?

Elected officials have a long tradition of not paying taxes. Or not paying all their taxes. Or paying the “wrong” amount. For some, at tax time, the issue is should they put the full amount of the bribe on their tax form. What about cut-rate, or free expensive repairs to their homes. Or mortgage discount deals not available to the general public. Not that long we had a Secretary of the Treasury who messed up his taxes by doing them himself. It happens.

Years ago, comedian Steve Martin had a sure-fire, funny bit he used at tax time. In he, he advised people that when the IRS is knocking on the door, asking about your failure to file over the last five or six years, you were to reply: “I forgot!” Then, in Steve’s comic world, it would all be explained and go away.

The above bit is funny. On TV. But in real life not so much. We here in D.C. have had a mayor who “forgot” to pay taxes. More than once. Various members of Congress had pleaded ignorance when the issue come up. Some blame it on their estranged/incompetent spouse’s failure to file. Now Congress is calling for blood. As in yours.

So let’s get deadbeat feds and hold them accountable. But let’s be sure Congress includes itself, and the White House staff, when the firings commence.

But don’t hold your breath …

Nearly Useless Factoid by Michael O’Connell

In the 1956 Japanese-American movie “Godzilla, King of the Monsters!”, Raymond Burr played a news reporter named Steve Martin. Burr reprised the role in the 1985 sequel, “Godzilla 1985”.

(Source: Wikipedia)

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