From the Wool-sack

• Publication year: 2000
• Pages: 33
• Citation: Vol. 29 No. 6 Pg. 33

29 Colo.Law. 33 Colorado Lawyer 2000.

2000, June, Pg. 33. From The Wool-Sack

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33

Vol. 29, No. 6, Pg. 33

The Colorado Lawyer
June 2000
Vol. 29, No. 6 [Page 33]

Departments
From The Wool-Sack
From The Wool-Sack
by Christopher R Brauchli

Getting along with women,
Knocking around with men,
Having more credit than money,
Thus one goes through this world.
Goethe, Claudine von Villa Bella

The fortunate thing is, I couldn't do it. Of course, I couldn't know until I tried that it wouldn't work And I couldn't know the reason. It was, however, a lesson in the world of credit cards and income tax

It all started when I read of the IRS's newest efforts to introduce pleasure into what had heretofore been considered the reasonably unpleasant task of paying taxes. It was news that it was now possible to pay one's taxes by means of the credit card. All one had to do was call a 1-888-272-9289 (that would translate into "I-LUV-2PAYTAX" if I were designing the program but, instead, has the rather more mundane just "2-paytax" as its moniker). A friendly voice on the other end of the phone would then explain what series of numbers to depress on the keypad of the telephone in order to simultaneously satisfy the government's seemingly insatiable desire to share in my good fortune over the past year, and transform what had become an unpleasant experience into a means of travel

On learning of this new method of satisfying the government's greed, my irritation at finding out that I owed thousands of dollars in taxes was transformed into pleasure and eager anticipation of the trips my payment would enable me to take by charging my taxes on my Mileage Plus card. My awareness of what awaited me as soon as the charge was credited to my account caused me to wonder if perhaps I had been overzealous in claiming deductions. Indeed, I contemplated calling my accountant and suggesting that we revise the tax return in order to increase my taxes so as to earn more miles for future travel.

I awaited June 15th with a sense of anticipation, that day when I would again be able to place a sizeable charge for estimated taxes on my card, thus ensuring yet another trip The IRS had transformed an onerous chore into a delightful prospect to which I looked forward with anticipation as I contemplated the exotic vacations I now would be able to take as a result of what had hitherto seemed...