An uplifting tax story out of Chicago

[matteni]

After all the frustration and bitterness around the tax thread that went around it was uplifiting to hear about how there is a "hero" in all of us and helping the poor.

Originally published in Newsweek

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4765996/

 

[Ponyboy]

Awesome. What a welcome and refreshing news story. I'm so used to seeing who died and some other tumult on the news that I'm actually pleasantly surprised. I hope this guy receives as much he gives in fulfillment.

 

[MsKadyB]

That is such a nice gesture to put forth to the community. It's good to know that there are still people out there who are willing to help those who are less fortunate.

 

[nsxtasy]

I hope this guy receives as much he gives in fulfillment.

I'm sure he does.

Giving can be an awesome thing. And giving of your time and energy, and meeting the people who are benefiting from your giving, means so much more than just writing a check. Although even if a financial contribution is all you have the time to manage, that can go a long way to helping those who are less fortunate. It is unfortunate that too many of us - whose finances enable us to afford a high-performance sports car - forget that many people only get by from paycheck to paycheck, and can only dream about having enough income to complain about paying too much in taxes.

Thanks for posting, Nick.

 

[NsXMas]

I'm sure he does.

Giving can be an awesome thing. And giving of your time and energy, and meeting the people who are benefiting from your giving, means so much more than just writing a check. Although even if a financial contribution is all you have the time to manage, that can go a long way to helping those who are less fortunate. It is unfortunate that too many of us - whose finances enable us to afford a high-performance sports car - forget that many people only get by from paycheck to paycheck, and can only dream about having enough income to complain about paying too much in taxes.

Thanks for posting, Nick.

I agree with the sentiment. But I'd like to add 2 points:

1) I think we should also appreciate that those who have been "fortunate" enough to afford a high-performance car are able to help themselves and others through hard work. When my family came to the US, my parents had less than $100 US in their pockets. Through hard work and focus on education, everyone in my family now has a college degree, and in some cases, masters degree as well. So as a result of hard work, we were able to support ourselves, educate ourselves on important areas so we could make a living. I'm very proud of that fact and that we NEVER relied on government subsidies at any time. While it's nice to feel sympathy for those who are unfortunate and live paycheck to paycheck, we should also give recognition to those who may have lived that way but worked hard to save so that they don't have to live paycheck to paycheck.

2) I found this quote very interesting

While I am grateful that these breaks exist for the working poor, there is something wrong with a process so difficult that it takes a cadre of financial consultants from the city's top companies to help qualified taxpayers claim their deductions.

As a former CPA, something is definitely wrong with our tax system that requires so much time and effort to do the taxes. It needs to be fixed, even at the expense of companies like H&R Block, CPA's, and other tax preparers who make a killing during tax season because the average person doesn't or can't figure how to do their taxes.