there are no atheists in tax season

I found my missing W-2. Possibly the most sincerity with which I have ever said "thank you God".

Not that I *really* believe God is moving things in my room. That would be delusional. It's clearly the elves.

strangest thing I have ever seen on a tax form

The Mass tax rate is 5.3%, right? "Recent legislation provides that the personal income tax forms must provide an election to voluntarily pay tax at a rate of 5.85% on taxable income which would otherwise be taxed at a rate of 5.3%."

Um, is that a guilt tax? A sucker tax? An "I'm a liberal who supports higher taxation, watch me do it voluntarily" tax?

Does anybody actually do it, that's what I want to know.

not *so* bad: the oh-so-taboo topic of money

About $560 for federal and state both. That's about a fifth of what I owed last year.

Still, meh. I could spend $560 very, very easily. Plus which I never got around to doing charitable donations in February, which was bad, because I really, really should for the Nature Conservancy at least, but between taxes and the upcoming Italy trip it's a bit daunting. Even if my mom did, er, waive my student loan repayments in light of the Italy trip *and* make a point of telling me they pay my sib's credit card bill.

Yeah, okay. Am well off, very lucky, and should write that Nature Conservancy check already.

Elsewise in tax-payment news, though, it feels just a bit icky to be paying taxes with a war I don't support going on. I mean, that's been true for years if you count the War on Drugs. But... I am supporting the government that is doing this.

I am so sorry, world. Can we pretend it's earmarked for the court system or something? AIDS relief? The research funding it came out of?