Taxes

I received some good news from my accountant at McMillan & Associates (http://www.mcmillancpa.com/). I was expecting to pay around $2,000 total in Federal and State taxes this year. To my delight, I'll have to pay half of that. I suspect 2 things caused my lower tax bill. First, I didn't make as much money this past year as I did the year before. It's been over a year and a half since I worked at Medieval Times at Arundel Mills Mall. Also, the Post Office has gotten really tight about overtime. Lastly, when given the choice of delivering Express Mail and getting 2 hours or delivering mail on rural route 10 which I hate and racking up a 9 hours, I chose delivering Express Mail. I know that cost me money there. Second, I put more money in my Individual Retirement Account (IRA). I was able to put $5,000 in it vice $4,000. I know that made a difference. So, I won't have to give as much to the socialist government of Maryland or the spend happy clowns in D.C. I hope to take my accountant's advice and pay some of the 2009's tax in advance so my bill will be even lower next year. We'll see on that. I still have a number of other things I need to pay off. I still owe over $2,300 on my future scooter and another $2,300 on my future U.S./Canada trips. Also, I hope to buy a new laptop. Knock on wood, the one I have is still going strong but, it is coming up on 5 years. I don't want to push my luck with it and have it unexpectedly die on me. So, we'll see on the idea of paying some of my future taxes in advance. Cheers all!