Taxes

Last year when we did our taxes we claimed the adoption tax credit.  Actually it was the second year of doing that...we were just taking the rest of what we couldn't take the first year.  The first year they asked for no documentation and gave us no trouble.  The second year they held up our refund until we sent a bunch of documents and they took their good old time reviewing it.  We did finally get our money, complete with $19.23 of interest since they took too long.  (Never mind the fact that they don't pay any interest on the huge amounts they withhold all year long.  But I digress.)

So a couple of days ago we get an "interest paid" form for that $19.23, which is taxable income.  So, let me get this straight:  they pay us interest because they were late giving us back our own money, and then they increase the amount we have to pay this year because of the interest they paid us for their screwup?  In what world is that even remotely justifiable?!

And while I'm on my soapbox, shouldn't homeschool expenses be tax deductible?  I mean, we're saving the government money by not sending our kids to their schools, AND we have to spend money that public school parents don't!

The only good news is the gigantic adoption tax credit we'll have again this year, for Rayanna's adoption.  Let's hope they send our refund on time so we don't have to pay taxes on our tax credit.