When Procrastination Pays Off

I was driving home from lunch with a friend when I got the text from my cousin: “Extended one month to 11/16 on the deadline day? What the… when did they decide this and why post at this date?” 

I immediately called her, “Wait what? Tax filing deadline is delayed one month? Sorry, I’m driving right now so just giving you a call.” Nowadays I always feel compelled to explain why I’m calling instead of texting.

She laughed, “Yeah…I’m not sure whether the state filing deadline has been extended though, so I can check that and text you.”

It was Monday, October 16, the 2022 state and federal tax filing deadline for affected California residents, and I hadn’t yet finished filing my taxes. The deadline had already been extended 6 months because of the extreme trauma us Californians went through with the inclement weather earlier this year (rain), and now, on the actual deadline itself, has been extended yet another month.

Except, it was only the IRS that put out the statement for the federal tax filing deadline. The California Franchise Tax Board hadn’t updated the October 16 deadline, and in fact had put out a tweet earlier that day reminding the general public that the deadline was October 16.

None of it makes any sense, and yet it’s what I’ve come to expect from the government: general incompetence. I don’t even mind paying taxes; it’s the giant math problem/test that I’m morally against. The government already has all of our information — just tell us how much we owe, and let us make updates from there…what’s so hard about that? 

It’s my understanding that many other governments already do this around the world, and even the IRS could do this if it weren’t for the dumb Intuit lobby. And yet I continue to buy Turbotax year after year…maybe it’s also partially my fault for perpetuating this problem. 

Either way, the lesson is clear: always wait until the last minute to pay your taxes.

@GavinNewsom @CalFTB so is California tax deadline still October 16? Can somebody weigh in here?

— Ted Wang (@seriouslyted) October 16, 2023