The Lord Giveth...

And the Tax Man Taketh Away.

The one deadline in the year that I don't fuck with is the April 30th deadline to file my income tax return. There have been a few years when I've been chomping at the bit, but generally I manage to file my tax return within 2 to 3 weeks before the deadline.

This year, I got a little freaked, as it seemed that with respect to my musical career, the floodgates have been opened. I am working 14-16 hour days, usually until midnight, with rehearsals, gigs, and teaching my pupils. I am currently rehearsing with three bands (I have never had that many bands on the go at once), so it seems that I am being asked to be at multiple places at the same time. Looking at my schedule for the next few weeks did not leave many days open that I would be able to tackle my tax return. At the first opportunity (today) I did just that.

Since I operate my own business, filing my tax return isn't as easy as everyone else's. There is a lot more work involved with respect to business income, expenses, liabilities, etc. Unfortunately, this year the tax return wasn't so kind to me. I had to pay.

2005 is quickly becoming an expensive year for me. I am generally spending more than I am making, and I am trying to recover my expenses by taking any extra-curricular job I can. That means weekend gigs, and extra students.

I think I need a big raise.