Tax crunch crunch
Sweet, salty, and surely deductible
Tax day is a taxing holiday. It rolls around once a year—yet always comes as a surprise. It calls for months of shirking, followed by a single frantic night of hunting down and toting up. It calls for the sigh, the slump, and the snack.
Which is where many taxpayers come up short. They may slice and serve juicy pie charts. But no citizen of the United States of America need endure taxation without snackification. Isn’t that why we tossed tea in the harbor?
The Internal Revenue Service recognizes two schedules: Concomitant Snackification instructs filer, spouse, or dependent to prepare something sweet and salty and set it within reach of the 1040. Fill form; empty bowl.
Culmination Snackification instructs filer, spouse, or dependent to prepare something sweet and salty and set it aside until the return is returned. Americans who check this box complete the paperwork faster and with fewer smudges.
Of course, many savvy citizens employ both techniques. And with an extra month this year—May 17 is the deadline—there’s plenty of time to procrastinate.