Bill's Bulletin Board

We read a lot these days about stress, and I think we have all been enduring our fair share of that, if not more than our share.

For me, on top of the demands of work, I had Christmas to worry about, and then the effects of a harsh winter, and car problems, and troubles with my teeth, and a few other little things to drive me up a wall.

But I'm happy to report that I have put many of these issues behind me, allowing me to focus on other stresses.

It's income tax time!

Have I ruined your day yet?

I have been fully aware that the deadline for getting the tax returns completed and off to the powers who run this land was creeping up, yet other things kept getting in my way. But I couldn't let anything, even the demands of work, keep me from the fun-filled experience of trying to figure through a T1 General.

I can certainly understand how the process would frustrate some people. I was discussing my concerns that I had not started working on my tax with a guy a couple of weeks ago, and he was taken aback that I do my taxes myself. I can see why some people would prefer to spend some money and get a professional to do the job for them. When one considers things like T3s, T4s, T5s, etc. that are involved with a T1 General, I think we can all excuse people for getting "T"ed off with the whole process (I should be ashamed of myself for that pun, but I'm not).

The process can have certain unexpected benefits too. For example, it was the trouble I encountered last year trying to read the forms that convinced me I might need reading glasses (I have since acquired them).

Despite the stress involved, I've always enjoyed fooling around with and crunching numbers. Some people like to doodle when they are bored. I'm more inclined to do numeric exercises that would mean nothing to anyone else but me. Don't ask me why? That is the way it is.

So fussing my way through the intricacies of a tax form is not that great a torture. For me, the problem is finding the time to do that. "I had to work," gets me out of a lot of obligations elsewhere, like at home. But I don't think the Canada Revenue Agency would be too sympathetic.

For several years, I was fortunate enough to have my mother coach me when doing my taxes. She spent the last several years of her working life as a payroll clerk for a company of chartered accountants, so she knew her tax procedures. She once got sore as hell with me when I wrote in a column that she could lecture the minister of finance (Paul Martin in those days) on tax law.

It was also my mother who introduced me to the idea of buying computer programs every year to help with the income tax. She used to stand over my shoulder (to my annoyance) as I worked at the keyboard, frequently reaching across to correct mistakes that I may or may not have made. Our nerves would have been sufficiently worn that we weren't speaking to each other at the end of the exercise, but I usually came away with a job well-done under my arm.

Since my mother is no longer alive, I sort of have to fend for myself with the tax form, but if I do say so myself, I think I've gotten rather good at it.

And I still use the computer program, but I have learned the hard way not to rely on it exclusively.

I received another lesson along those lines last week.

I had to work just about every night, but realizing the magic deadline was fast approaching, I figured I had better start making headway. So I worked on my income tax until midnight over a couple of nights after I got home.

I started by entering the numbers on my various forms into the computer, and when that was done, I jumped to the bottom to get a sneak preview of the bad news. What I received was a very nice surprise. The machine was trying to tell me I was due for a substantial refund, and I hadn't even started factoring in my deductions, like for RRSP (I always make that investment) and the car expenses I can claim because I do so much driving in my job.

As I worked on a hard copy of my return, using what the computer was telling me as a guide, I found it had a funny (and inaccurate) way of calculating income. I can operate a pocket calculator with the best of them, and I knew my figures were correct. the computer was trying to overstate my income by a significant amount.

At first, it looked like initial good news was going to be even better, but life wouldn't be life without a couple of disappointments.

The start of the program asked me my marital status, where I dutifully entered "Married." Then it wanted to know my spouse's income, and since I didn't know it, I just left that part blank. Big mistake.

Since I put no income figure down for my wife, the computer program evidently assumed Beth has no job or income, and that I was supporting her (generally, the only support I offer her comes in the form of comedy relief), thus making me eligible for all sorts of nifty deductions; like on the order of about $10,000 worth of extra deductions.

When I discounted those deductions (with a heavy heart) the figure at the bottom line was much more realistic, and much less satisfying.

The job, however, is almost completed. As I write this (Saturday afternoon), I still have a few more calculations to make, then prepare a final copy of my return and put it in the mail. I know I could do it on-line, but I'm too oldfashion for that.

But then, I'll have more work to do. Beth has asked me to enter her figures on the computer and see what I come up with.

Like I said before, I usually support her with comedy relief. Boy, is she in for a laugh!