Floating Holidays - They are so...Taxing!

Feeling Over -Taxed?  As in trying to find either the time, physical, or financial resources? Me Too...as I also try, agonize over, the weird terms of "fixed expenses" as well as "fixed income" that inevitably come up, when you or I are prepping to finalize our tax forms or, in turn, anticipate a "return" (lucky you!) -- as "fixed" here seems - to me, to be at least mis-appropriated if not mis-applied...as, in the first place, expenses seem to only go in one direction, and incomes, these days, seem to be broken, as opposed to "fixed". Oh, well, I have to allow for...as in...

Allowances made: As in a degree of flexibility for how you or I may use either some income ("flex account" do they have these any more?) or how you might use those, what are still referred to, in some corporate settings, as "floating holidays" - - those that either move around, not always the same date on our Gregorian calendar (even though Thanksgiving is always the fourth Thursday in November, it's not always the same exact day...which used to be a bit taxing to remember but now auto corrected by calendars, iPhones...)...or those that you as an employee are given a degree of discretion as to how you might may want to allocate them...Nice. 

How this all started: As in, for me, a word search or, to be clear and transparent, wracking my brain to find the one word that best captured "inflatable pool toys" (underlining mine, to reflect the "rate of inflation") -- since you don't know how many spaces were allotted in this particular crossword puzzle, associated with "Spring Things" you can only guess. Which for me was a trigger for "free association" (a favorite past time for psychologists) which now, upon "retrospect" (another fundamental tool) was supplemented by overhearing, on my "cool jazz" channel, "They can't take that away from me"🎝 (what's your favorite rendition?). All of which sent my mind sailing...surfing...begging the question...

"Why in the world...?" Is "Tax day" landing on April 18th this particular year...well, actually for the tax year of 2022 😕....which, come to find out (Thanks Wiki!) wasn't always the case, not always 'celebrated' as such...That is, neither that particular day, nor the month of April. For those that bother to read their calendars, the ones that have historical 'markers' on almost every day...The Inaugural Tax Day fell on March 1st 1914, whereas taxing itself was allowed, allotted for, by the 16th Amendment (when was the last time you read it? Simplified, ratified in 1913: "Congress has the right to levy taxes on income of any kind"😟). Congress, in turn, apparently already realizing the "increasing complexity of the tax code" pushed it back two weeks, to March 15th. And finally, as part of the IRC (Internal Revenue Code) of 1954, a new assembly of congressional landed us here, as on April 15th, with a few allowances, a few "exceptions" (key word for IRS, CPA types), taking into account, weekends and other historical markers, that have to be steered away from. I still find it bit unnerving that, regardless of it landing on the 15th, the 18th, a Monday, or whatever...it's just a fortnight from the date that, ever since we started using our present day calendar, we started realizing all kinds of foolish-ness, shenanigans, as "April Fools!😖" which, regardless of which day of the week, is consistently one we are now leery of...

"Irreversible binomials" Simplified, a pairing of words that become catchy, that only make sense to us if presented in one direction, as "death and taxes" -- the only two certainties in life, coined well before Benjamin Franklin but made popular among U.S. Can you imagine, even now, if you heard of "Costello and Abbott" the duo strongly associated with the skit "Who's on First?" which makes its way to the airwaves this time of year, prior to "throwing out the first pitch"...whatever day that may land on...

"Cool" Simplified (like the tax code🤣), reduced from "cool things to ponder", as you are floating in the pool, after inflating the pool toys, which, for me, reflecting what's on my mind, if not yours, to the "rate of..." let alone what's termed "Tax Freedom Day"😕😂!! which for U.S. around these parts, continues to be one which floats around...