Benjamin Franklin said it best when he stated, &uot;In this world, nothing is certain but death and taxes.&uot;

This often-uttered phrase is especially poignant today, April 15, tax day. Like death, taxes affect everyone. Rich or poor, male or female, taxes are an inescapable reality for all Americans. Is there anything else with the power to cross religious, racial and gender lines which groups citizens into a single unit with a light wallet?

How many conversations about April 15 revolved around the company water cooler over the past months? How many CPA’s are visited this time each year? Taxes, like death, is a great unifier. Everyone needs a shoulder to cry on when April 15 rolls around, and it’s not because they stubbed their thumbs while using a No. 2 pencil on their 1040’s.

We make light of this serious subject, but then again, so did Franklin. By comparing death to taxes, Franklin made a dry commentary about the inevitability of taxes. It’s as if he were saying, &uot;Taxes are going to happen anyway, there’s nothing you can do about so you might as well pony up.&uot;

And every year, we do.

Taxes, though, aren’t inherently bad. There are necessary to keep our government working and providing us the services we created it for in the first place. We may complain about our taxes each year, but we know that without them, our country wouldn’t be as great as it is today.

Have a happy April 15.