Maybe we need to move to a state that likes kids...

So, this morning I counted collection at church. Each week two people have to work together under the supervision of the church secretary (who uses it as another excuse to fill my children up with candy, of course!) I enjoy it quite a bit (because I am that much of a dork!) After we are done counting, we have to go to the bank together and put in the deposit.

Today, I worked with an older gentleman...he is very nice and I like him very much. Anyhow, as you could probably guess, anyone who volunteers to count collection has an interest in money. On the way back from the bank (where he very shrewdly pointed out an error in the teller's counting) he asked me if I had done my taxes. I told him that I had indeed finished. He asked if I had mailed them in. I told him that I had filed my federal taxes (no mailing...I e-file if I'm getting a refund), but that I hadn't mailed in my state taxes, since we owe them money.

Now, I've been experiencing some bitterness about taxes ever since finishing our taxes...we are poor enough that we don't pay any federal taxes (thanks to the child tax credit and our two little tax deductions!), but apparently the state sees us as rich, as we owe them more than $400 (in addition to the almost $300 we paid in throughout the year!)

So, the gentleman I count collection with told me that their state taxable income was negative! I was a little bit flabbergasted, since our taxes were so high for the state. He explained that his social security and his wife's social security incomes are not taxable...and further, his military retirement is not taxable either.

This, of course, just increased my bitterness about the state...but I'm working on getting over it...

I wonder if there are any states that like working people with kids more than seniors...