It's Tax Day! Hooray! (Or Something Like That)

Today is, of course, Income Tax Day. Yes, we're all thrilled.

To hopefully make the process a tad less painful, here are some (ahem) "reasons" that allegedly come from genuine court cases, provided by defendants when asked why they were tardy with their Form 1040 or variations thereof

• The Paperwork Reduction Act relieves Americans of their duty to file tax returns.

• I was not required to file my tax return because I never received a court order to do so.

• When I was audited by the IRS many years ago, the agent told me that he had never seen a taxpayer as scrupulous and honest in his affairs as me, and that I would never have to file a tax return again.

• I am a CPA. And I was too busy preparing other people's tax returns to file my own tax return on time.

• I was convicted and imprisoned for not filing my 1987, 1988, 1989 and 1990 federal income tax returns. After my release from prison, I had difficulty compiling my records, so I didn't file my 1993, 1994 and 1995 returns.

Wouldn't it have been easier to just pay up?