Taxes -2025

 

Casa Tipton-Kelly

Good morning folks. 

I was going to apologize for not posting sooner or more often but these days my routine has changed. So no apologies.

Yesterday I finally completed preparing my taxes for 2025. Something I dread doing. Not because I owe a lot of money or anything like that but because I just hate all the rigmarole one has to go through just to check in with the government once a year to make sure one is paying one's fair share. 

I've always prepared my own taxes. I've never used a service such as H.R. Block or any other service. I use Turbo Tax software. No way could I do my taxes manually like I used to fifty years ago. 

This year I was concerned if I would owe taxes. The past several years I haven't had to pay any taxes because my income is so modest. Actually, I haven't paid taxes since Bill and I got married in 2013 and I could claim him as my dependent. That was one of the main benefits of getting married, to take advantage of all the protections and monetary benefits that straight couples have enjoyed for my whole lifetime and since the U.S. government began taxing it's citizens. 

Well, the good news is that I do have to pay taxes but it is a very small amount. That's a relief. I was worried that I would be burdened with a my previous thousand dollar plus tax bill that I had to pay every year before Bill and I got married.  

To tell you the truth I would be in a world of hurt if I had to pay rent or a mortgage. My big advantage now is that my home is mortgage free. God knows it cost enough to keep Casa Tipton-Kelly going even without the extra expense of a monthly mortgage payment. 

Have a great day everyone!

Letter to the Editor

Marie Antoinette - Queen of France who lost her head through her indifference to the common man

Dear Sir,

The following is my response to the proposal in the Delaware state budget to eliminate the senior citizen discount in the annual real estate/school tax bill:

Subject: Who thought this was a good idea?

(Imagined ) Conversation in governor’s office re budget shortfall:

 Budget Director:

 “Governor, we’re short funds in our budget. Any suggestions how we make up the shortfall?”

 Governor Markel: 

 “Let’s tax those seniors who have been getting a free ride. Take away that $500 senior citizen tax credit on their annual real estate/school tax bill.” 

 Budget Director:

 “But what about those senior citizens who live on a fixed retirement income? Those senior citizens who are already faced with ever increasing costs in food, heat, and insurance?”

 Governor Markel:

 “Let them eat cake”

My partner, now husband and I moved to Delaware from our beautiful, paid off home in Pennsylvania, eleven years ago to escape the ever increasing real estate/school taxes in Pennsylvania.

We didn’t want to move. Hardly a day goes by that my partner/husband laments how much he misses our home in Pennsylvania, a home we planned to live out our days.  But when our taxes reached the $8,000 a year threshold, and were increasing each year 10 to 15%, I had no other choice than to sell our dream home and move to Delaware, the Land of Low Taxes.

I had always envied my longtime school friend Larry who lived in Claymont , Delaware and his low three figure annual tax payment.  My friend Bob who lived outside Georgetown, and his low three figure annual tax payment.  Even my late millionaire friend Ed, who lived on the three hundred block of Laurel Avenue in Rehoboth Beach, his taxes were also under a $1,000 a year. 

 “Time to move” I told myself. So we uprooted everything and put our house up for sale and had a new house built in Milton. This was in the year 2006, right as the housing market started to collapse.  We almost lost everything because we owed money on our new house and couldn’t sell our old house.  We eventually did sell our old house and ended up with a $100,000 mortgage on our new house, which we hadn’t planned on.  This was bad but at least we now had a low tax bill that wasn’t going to increase 8 to 10% a year or more.

However, since we have lived here we have seen our tax bill slowly increase from $1,200 a year to now $1,500 a year. This was the net bill, less the $500 tax credit given senior citizens who had lived in their home at least a year.  A welcome break from our Pennsylvania tax bill, which was rapidly approaching $10,000 a year. 

Our main source of income is our Social Security payments.  I also receive three small pension payments from my career years bouncing between banking jobs, trying to survive “right sizing". 

 Now, in order to supplement our income and keep up with the ever increasing household bills like heat, electric, insurance and food; I work part-time at a local hotel. 

 My partner spouse is 88 years old. I am 75 years old.  There will come a time when our household will have to get by on only one Social Security payment.  And, if I’m fortunate enough to have a long life, there will probably come a time when I’m not  checking in hotel guests and earning those extra few dollars that enable me to take “indulge” myself and take a holiday a few times a year and keep up with those ever increasing household bills and insurance payments. 

Over the past few years I have already started to cut back on expenses. 

Do I need that fancy phone plan?  Perhaps not so I cut back. 

Do I really need all those magazines subscriptions? 

Besides, those magazines are all filled with ads anyway. 

Cancel those subscriptions. 

Do I really need to eat out at all those fine Rehoboth/Lewes restaurants?

We cut out those restaurant forays last year.  

Each month I see all our bills increase while our Social Security payments and my pension payments stay the same. 

I’ll never see another increase in my pay at the hotel in my lifetime.  Service jobs are notoriously underpaid. One doesn’t get rich off a hotel front desk job, no matter how many Trip Advisor kudos one receives.

Then I read in the Cape Gazette that Governor Markel, submitting his final budget, suggests eliminating the $500 senior citizen tax credit on their real estate/school tax. 

Really?

One of the pleasant surprises for me, when we moved to Delaware, was how respectful Delaware was to its senior citizens by giving them a tax break like this.  Unlike Pennsylvania who is cold and raises those taxes each year, regardless of age or income bracket. Delaware recognized the value of encouraging senior citizens to relocate to Delaware and thus contribute to the local economy. 

In my ten years working at the hotel I have lost count how many couples have told me they were visiting Delaware to check out the housing situation because they could no longer afford the taxes in their home state.  Almost all of my neighbors in the development where I live now have retired here from another state to get away from the high taxes from their home state.

Did they move here because of the fabulous Delaware beaches? 

 Did they move here to be closer to the outlet stores?

 Did they move here for the gourmet restaurant experience?

 Did they move here because of the fishing opportunity?

 Not a one.

When I asked them, they ALL told me they were moving because they couldn’t afford to pay the school/real estate taxes in their home state any more.

I find it very shortsighted to take away the $500 senior citizen discount on the school/real estate tax bill.

For the amount of revenue anticipated of the 25 million dollars.  While 25 million is no amount of small change, it is only a drop in the bucket of the 350 million short fall in the proposed 4.13 billion dollar Delaware state budget.

To me it just doesn’t make a lot of sense to ask those thousands of senior citizens living in Delaware struggling to get by on a fixed income to pay an extra $500 a year in taxes. 

 Just who thought this was a good idea?

Frustration!

Certain things frustrate me a lot.  One of the main culprits is the all too often glitches in this digital age.  Remember yesterday when I was so happy to have finished our taxes (our first joint return ever) and discovered that we (instead of "I", I have to get used to the plural now that we're officially married) get MONEY BACK.  So I file my returns through Turbo Tax electronically.  And what do I get?  REJECTED!  Here I go again folks….REJECTED!

Nobody likes to be rejected, especially us gay folks, especially ME.  Damn!  What did I do wrong now?  I see the message that I got Bill's date of birth wrong.  Hmmmmm…..it's the same date of birth he's been using for the last 85 years.  WTF?

So I give it another try.  I reenter his date of birth and resubmit the returns.  And hour later I hear the "DING!" on my cell phone.  I get yet another text message that my e-filing has been REJECTED!  Damn!  WTF?  

To make a long story short and also to minimize your pain and suffering of reading this, I tried FIVE TIMES to submit, changing little things here and there.  Of course I was defying Albert Einstein's definition of insanity:

Insanity, doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results

Albert Einstein

So, this morning to get my sanity back I put my brain in gear and went to the Turbo website and dug a little deeper for an explanation of the error code.  It indicated that the date of birth I put in for Bill didn't match his Social Security records.  Uh…..okay.  I head to the record keeping department here at Casa Tipton-Kelly.  I pull out the parchment like envelope that contains Bill Social Security number and birth certificate.  You think the document paper for the Declaration of Independence is old, you should see Bill's papers.  Now that's OLD.  

For the past 85 years Bill has always thought he was born on the 26th of September.  Guess what?  His birth certificate says he was born….are you ready?……he.was.born…(wait for it)…..the 25th of September. OH.MY.GOD.   

Bill just found our he is another day older…..all those years

I go back to Turbo Tax.  I change Bill's date of birth from the 26th to the 25th.  Again I e-file our joint tax returns and…….hold my breath.  I'm thinking if this isn't straightened out I'm going to be seriously f--cked up when I go to work today. And that can't happen because when working the front desk I have to be happy and jolly and not preoccupied with another distractions.  That's not my style.

Nervously and unsettled I await for the hour or so it takes to be notified whether or not the IRS has accepted my return.  Guess what?  VIOLA!  They accepted it!  Big WHOOP!  

Oh yes, there is a God in Heaven.  

I don't need this stress folks. Especially with my Bloggerpalooza extravaganza coming up in just a little over a week.  I'm gathering up the prizes now for all my blogger friends who are making the trek to Lewes, Delaware.  I needs to be unencumbered with other problems.  I need to be totally relaxed.  Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my closeup.

Taxes Filed!

What a difference a year makes folks!  Every year I file my taxes, I owe.  No matter that I receive a modest monthly Social Security payment (never made vice president in my corporate career), a few modest (very modest) pension payments and a barely double digit W-2 wages from my part-time job as a front desk clerk at a local hotel, I ALWAYS OWE.  

Uncle Greedy

No matter that I have been the head of this household and been the sole support of my 85 year old partner for the past thirty years (he retired early at 55 at my urging because he was traveling too much on his job).  Because we are of the same sex and legally unable to get married, we were penalized.  Oh sure, we've all heard about the "marriage penalty."  That's when the straights figured out that two working couples paid the same in taxes as two gay couples living together.  Couldn't have that could we?  Oh no, have to give the straights yet another benefit so our lawmakers had to pass yet another law giving the straights even another tax break.  

Rep. Louie Gohmert - one of the many major asshat legislatures that pass discriminatory tax laws against gays and single folks

I have always paid more in taxes than my straight fellow citizens.  No matter that some of my best friends are straight, Bill and I were still discriminated against just because we were gay. NO matter that we have been living together in the same household since March of 1965, didn't matter.  You're gay, you pay more. 

Think this Republican cares?

Well folks, this past summer Bill and I got married on our 49th anniversary.  Today I filed a joint tax return. Now didn't that feel good?  Yes it did.

No longer "less than"

So here's the lowdown folks, by filing a joint tax return this year I receive a REFUND of $945.00.  Yes, you read it right…..A REFUND!  How about that?

Just for the fun of it I figured out our taxes if we filed separately.  Guess what?  I would have OWED $2,381.00!  That's a difference of $3,326.00!  Now that is significant folks. 

And my tax rate has gone from almost 20% to Mitt Romney levels.  Welcome to the world of equality Ron. 

The Mittster isn't liking this - The Gays being treated equally - what's this world coming too?

Feels good folks, feels real good.

John McCain, aka "Old Gumpy" and War Monger - wondering how we're going to pay for the next war now that the government is getting less of "the gay" dollar

Man Period?

Major Asshat - Willard "Mitt" Romney

Anne Marie (the dear) hit the nail right on the head this morning when she said (in response to my bitchy blog reviewing the Oscar cast last night on TV):

"uh oh, is someone having his man period this AM? :)"

Actually she was right. You see I had just completed and filed my federal and state taxes prior to composing and posting my Oscar blog.  I am always angry after doing my taxes.  This year was no exception.  

Even with taking all my deduction and having extra money taken out of my pay for my part-time job, I still owed almost $400!  Yes folks, I still owe.  My effective percentage rate was only two points below Willard "Mitt" Romney's tax rate that he paid last year.  You all know our Erstwhile Republican Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney don't you?  He reported income of over 22 million dollars last year and didn't work a day.  He of the wife who has a "couple of Cadillacs."  Yes, THAT Mitt Romney.  The one who will say anything and flip positions just to win.  The one who thinks $374,000 for speaking fees isn't "that much."  Yep folks, that jerk-off.  

So here I am, collecting Social Security, collecting three small pensions and working part-time at a hotel, and I had extra money taken out of my modest hotel front desk job which I haven't gotten a raise in FIVE YEARS, paying over a 12% rate and Mittsy is paying a 14% rate.  I seem to remember President Obama making a campaign promise that Old Retired Guys like me who work part-time should have to pay ANY taxes.  I'm not even counting the full rate of FICA taxes I pay.  

Yep, every year I do my taxes and see how much I still have to pay I'm mad.  Usually I take my anger out on Bill or other friends or just complain to no one in particular but this year I let loose all my vent up frustration on the Hollywood Phonies at the Oscars last night.  Man it felt good.  I hate all those phony acceptance speeches.  I usually use the Mute button on my remote control to silence out their "I want to thank my Lovely Wife and my Darling little daughter/son" , et al, ad nauseam.  For Christ's sake, you would think one of these self absorbed ego maniacs discovered the cure for cancer.  

While we're on Academy Award Acceptance Speeches, what is it with local police departments that every time they are on national TV giving a press conference the FIRST thing they do is start thanking each other like THEY won an Academy Award?  I was watching the awful news this afternoon about yet another school shooting (oh when oh when are we going to change the mindset in this country about gun control?) and the FIRST words out of the trap of the local police chief is "I want to thank the extra-ordinary effort of all the local law enforcement officers in making this school a SAFE place....""'Uh...NO!  Didn't someone just die?  IT IS NOT SAFE DUMB ASS AND DON'T SAY IT IS SAFE UNTIL YOU MAKE IT SAFE AND YOU WILL 

DO THAT WHEN THERE IS GUN CONTROL.  


Man oh man, this is one habit the local police have that really makes me mad, thank each other for the "wonderful" job they done did.  This makes me even madder than I am at asshats like Willard "Mitt" Romney.

Next up:

The other ASSHAT:  (I've been holding off on this one. I'm about to unleash.)

Tax Time

Ron doing one of his least favorite chores - taxes

If it's January 15th, it's time to start my taxes.  


Oh how I hate this job.  I always do my own taxes.  I use Turbo Tax.  That seems to be the easiest program.  I've never used a professional tax preparer.  Never made much sense to me because the hardest part of doing taxes is assembling all the material and you would have to do that for the tax preparer anyway.  So here I am, my self-appointed starting point for preparing my taxes.


I don't have all of my information yet but I have to put the Turbo Tax software on my computer.  This year I'm using my iMac computer so this caused me some nervousness.  At my age, anything new and different causes me nervousness.  I like everything to be receptive and calm.  Now I understand all those old people I used to work with when I first started out in my banking job as a young, whipper snapper supervisor.  I thought they were such old fuddy duddies.  Well, here I am, and old fuddy duddy.  What comes around, goes around (as they say).  What they also say is poetic justice.  Yeah, I was one of those smart assed guys who made fun of old people and their ways.


Well, I needn't of worried.  The tax software loaded up in a jiffy.  No problems-a-meto.  


Now to assemble my information.  Isn't this exciting?  This is my blog folks.  I write about my everyday life.  Sometimes exciting, sometimes not so much so.  This is one of those "not so much so" days but I'm going to subject you to it anyway.  Please feel free to leave the premises now if you don't want to go to sleep.  


So I gathered all my income which was only from my part-time job at the hotel.  My income was down again this year.  I didn't work January and February last year.  Hotel business was down and the owner of the hotel cut expenses by laying me and the other part-time old guy off.  The economy sucked last year and it still sucks.  I'm giving 20% and 30% discounts on hotel rooms and we still can't get guests in the building.  But I'm working this year.  


I didn't get my Social Security income form yet.  The income on that will be the same.  This is the second year in a row we rich Social Security recipients didn't receive a cost of living increase.  Funny thing that, my cost of living this year really went up, especially my AARP supplemental insurance with United ("we're always looking out for the customer") Health Care.  Sure, sure.  My premiums with those crooks folks went up a hefty 10% this past year.  Lovely.  I feel like I'm holding onto the edge of a cliff with my fingers and the insurance company is stomping on those digits.  Once Obama and his new buddies, the Republicans start nibbling away at reducing Social Security benefits this year under the guise of "We must all make sacrifices" (except the top tax bracket folks of course), I expect my Social Security payments to shrink even further.  "Change you can believe in."   Uh huh.  I didn't expect it to be this kind of change.  But I digress.  Back got the exciting narrative of assembling my information to get my taxes ready.  See why I hate this time of year?  All my dormant anger is stirred up over our patently unfair tax system.  But again, I disgressed.  


I gathered up all my dental bills.  I had major work done this year.  Over $3,000 or which I was only reimbursed $1,000 from my dental insurance.  Hey, it's better than nothing.  


I also get to deduct my AARP supplemental insurance premiums, something which I forgot to do last year so I had to file an amended return to get some of that money back.


Well, after about four hours of recording all this information one my green pad and then transferring it to my computer, I'm ready to leave it for now.  As always happens when I do my taxes, I'm mad.  


I'll let what I've done so far season while I await the rest of my tax information.  I'm supposed to have all of it by law at the end of this month but there is always a piece of information that comes floating in the middle of February.  This year it is my E*Trade tax statement.  What's up with that?  


I'm going to have a little lunch now and then take a well deserved nap.  


Maybe my mad will be gone when I wake up.  

Sad Trip

The "Welcome to Pennsylvania" sign at the Delaware-Pennsylvania border outside Newark, Delaware

Hey Ron =

 

Hope you and Bill are well.  It's been a hot time around here has your area has escaped this warm summer? 

 

Forgive me for not keeping in touch....seems Mike and I are always on the go and travel more now than ever (we are fortunate to be able to do so).

 

While reading the fine print in the Daily Local News this morning, I came across a notice of "Upset Sales" being held Sept. 13, 2010.  These properties are for sale through the Chester County Tax Claim Bureau to satisfy unpaid taxes - could be municipal, county, or school district taxes.  Anyhow, I noticed that 161 Crawford is listed (the owner's name is shown as David Goldschmidt) and the amount owed is $17,405.92. 

 

I called the Tax Claim Bureau to ask how this works and was told that the $17,000 listed is theoretically the starting price of the auction for the home but the bidding could go much higher.  Sad to see your beautiful place in such a state.

 

Mike and I occasionally go up the driveway to look around - hopefully, the inside of the home is not damaged.  Those of us who live in the woods know that mold and mildew are a constant problem and you must stay on top of it.  I didn't see any damage from recent storms other than a lot of branches down on the ground.  We actually lost several trees.

 

Remind me of your mailing address and I will cut out this page of the paper and mail it to you.

 

Regards,

Becky

This is an e-mail I received yesterday from my former neighbor and friend Becky C.  It is in reference to our former home in Pennsylvania.  Early this morning Bill and I made a return trip to our former home.

Bill and I built our former home in 1980 from 6.875 acres of wooded land we purchased in East Brandywine township in 1976.  We sold our home in November of 2006.  We had over twenty five wonderful years in our wooded paradise.  Bill put unmeasurable sweat equity into our former home.  We raised three beautiful Pomeranian dogs at our home on 161 Crawford Road, Downingtown, Pennsylvania.

Last year another former neighbor of our told us that our former home was up for sale.  We were very surprised because the young couple from Florida who had purchased our home seemed so happy on the day of settlement.  I remember the young man and his beautiful blonde wife (I kidded him about how did he ever manage to get such a beautiful wife) telling me that his two young dark haired daughters would now have plenty of space to play.

Now to hear this news, that our former beautiful home is now going to be auctioned off for payment of back taxes.  What makes it especially sad is that Bill never wanted to move to Delaware.  I was forced to sell our home and move to Delaware because I could no longer afford to pay the ever escalating high school property taxes of Pennsylvania.  How ironic that our former home is now going to be auctioned off because of failure to pay those very taxes.

The trip today was very sad.  Our formerly beautifully manicured property is now overgrown with weeds.  The roof gutters are crammed with debris.  The three fish ponds that I had so lovingly cared for are now dark with dead leaves and the only occupants are frogs.  Long gone are the many goldfish who who were born, lived and died in those ponds for years.  

Bill at the entrance that he built to our former Pennsylvania home this morning

The leaf strewn entrance to our former garage - many a trip was made up this incline

Bill built this terrace, one brick at a time. It took him over 20 years to complete

The front of the house - the ivy and green mold is taking over

Me on the steps of the sunroom that Bill built, one brick at a time

The "grand staircase" of steps that Bill built - one brick at a time

One of the  three hundred dollar lamps that Bill put on top of his masterpiece

Gone are the days are the sounds of the happy "yap! yap!" of our Poms now replaced with the occasional breeze through the tall pine trees and the birds who now have taken back possession of their woodland home.  

The auction is scheduled to take place Monday, September 13th.  We will be there. If we had the money, we would buy it back.  But we don't.  One thing is for sure, whoever does buy our former home will be getting a bargain.  We spent many a happy day there.     Our dogs are still buried there, near one of the ponds.  Their ghosts still romp in the grass.

Me playing with Horace 1982 a year after moving into our new home

Horace looking at his new home 1982

Me posing for a 1985 Christmas card picture with "the kids" at the entrance

Me with Horace and his daughter "Babydoll" in happier times 

Note:  I'm keeping the "happy" music on this posting because this is the way I want to remember our former home.  Our dogs lived a long, good life on that property as did Bill and I.  We will miss it terribly.  

U. S. Census 2010

This morning I mailed my completed 2010 Census form. I received the form yesterday on April 1st as promised by the Census Bureau.




The form was very easy to complete. It took me less than five minutes to complete it.

The only information I had to record was my name, address, home ownership, sex, date of birth and race. I also record the same information for the other person living in my house.



I was very pleased to discover there was a box entitled “Unmarried partner” indicating the relationship between me and the other person living in my house. That “other person” is my partner of 46 years.

Marriage between same sex partners may not be in place but at least the government is now recognizing the reality of all the living arrangements of the people of this country. No longer will do I have to indicate I am “Single” when filling out such a form when in fact I have been happily “married” for the past forty six years! To be honest, I never thought I would live to see this day when Bill and I would be recognized as two legitimate people living in the same household. It is a wonderful feeling not to be discounted as a human being and an American citizen.



Bill and I are both veterans (me the Army and Bill the Army and Air Force.) Both of us have been productive members of the American society earning a living and contribution to the great American economy for lo these many years. During those years we have paid our full share of the many taxes of this land. Even though for most of those years we were discounted as American citizens and did not have the full rights most other Americans take for granted, we paid our full share of taxes. Someday I’ll add up the thousands of dollars we spent on school taxes even though we had no children in school. I don’t regret paying those taxes because well educated children benefit all of us in the country, gay and straight. However, I do remember the times when our straight neighbors in Pennsylvania used to harass us for even daring to live next to them because we were gay. But that’s a story for another day. Today is too nice of a day to go down that negative lane. The sun is out, the temperature is forecast for the low 70’s, and today is the 42nd Annual Kite Festival at the Cape Henlopen State Park. That’s where I’m going today, not back to the Bad Old Days when we lived in Pennsylvania with our homophobic neighbors.

This time last year I trained to be a Census worker. Let me tell you, this is a tough and thankless job. I don’t care how much they’re paying, it is a hard job. After a week of training I quit. Even after I quit I received a call from the Census Bureau asking me if I wanted to work this year. That call surprised me. Either I really did super on my test and training (which I did by the way) or else they were hard up for workers (which they are by the way.) I turned them down. I’m not one for going into strange neighborhoods and knocking on stranger’s doors inquiring as to why they haven’t sent back their census form. I have all the respect in the world for those Census Bureau workers who do that tough job. It is a job that needs to be done.

So folks, mail in your Census form today or as soon as you can. If you don’t send in your completed form you will receive a visit from a Census Bureau worker inquiring about the census form they haven't received. One thing is for sure though, that worker won’t be me.  But please make their job a little easier for those Census workers who decided to stick it out.  It's a tough job.