So, does this mean I got a pay raise?

So originally I was going to come home and write a post detailing the Biggest Loser challenge that my family is participating in. It was going to be full of the fun details of the challenge and quick summary of how things began earlier this month. Then...then I came home to find yet another way Uncle Sam is trying to fund the next round of the stimulus bill.

Apparently, if you try and play it safe by declaring 0 on your W-4 form so that you'll damn near be guaranteed a state refund in the spring, that refund can then be required to count as income on your next year's Federal income tax return. Seriously??? Now, I know it's been a while since I've been in a classroom, but since when do I have to pay taxes on income twice?? Forget taxation without representation, I'll take that any day over double taxation.

So clearly, in my total and utter state of shock and disbelief, I called on my Pat to set things straight. I mean, there can be no legal way that I have to declare this as additional income. Imagine my surprise (yes, we'll call it surprise as opposed to say--furry) to hear that indeed they CAN require that. After dropping the eff bomb repeated times in confusion and questioning that this really was in fact the case, I promptly thanked him for not giving me the answer I wanted to hear.

So to summarize, the government has found a new and exciting way to take more of my money and there isn't a damn thing I can do about it. By a new era of change, they must have been referring to the few little coins they were going to leave to rattle around in my wallet. Joy!