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Honesty, not a tax but an investment in peace
Originally appeared on spirituality.com
How can doing the wrong thing seem like it’s the right thing? That’s the question I faced as I prepared my taxes.
I started my own business a year before doing odd jobs ranging from organizing and cleaning to painting and yard work. Invariably people pay me in cash. My friends tell me how lucky I am to be paid “under the table.” The only record I have of the money I make is either in my head or written down on an old calendar somewhere.
In February of this year I began to prepare our family’s tax returns. I struggled about whether to report all of our income—including my cash earnings. I knew in this country the law states all income is to be taxed. The problem? I was afraid if I did report my income this would at best prevent me from getting a tax refund, and at worst I might owe money.
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