At My Place: Time for Income Tax Math

I understand that our American friends have already had and - hopefully met their deadline for their annual taxes; that's on April 15th.

Here in Canada we have an April 30th deadline. Most years that doesn't seem long enough for me. I am quite dyslexic when it comes to numbers. I can read 3 numbers aloud to myself, and as I'm writing them down, I reverse them. So I have learned to go very slowly when I work with numbers.

I was still in elementary and high school when I saw I had this problem, so I have never every sought a job as a cashier or accountant for others. I have learned to use certain tricks to keep myself working slowly and ever so carefully when I have to do math. And I often do some calculations 3 or 4 times, even with a handy calculator. My nimble fingers do often make a wrong entry, despite going extra slow - as if pulling on the reins of a too-eager horse.

Friday evenings are my time to do my weekly book- keeping entries, and sorting my receipts, etc. I work at it slowly and cautiously. Even then, I often do the math a second and third time to see if I get the same answer.

Last week I started giving up most of my daily to-do projects and focusing on my annual summaries of columns of numbers. Towards the end of the week my columns were much longer than monthly figures for certain topics. I groaned, "Oh no! I've entered some too many times!" So I had to start all over entering each number in each column again, slowly, carefully.

Yesterday I found the official documents from the government with the numbers for what they had deposited into my account each month for OAS & CPP funds. "Whoopee! I'll use their numbers instead mine!"

I'm not done yet, but I hope in the next day or two to be able to say I've got the best I can do, and I will take my sheets to an accountant who can check my math and answers, and hopefully send it off like she did last year, electronically.

Then my biggest annual math trials will be over! Whoopee!

Do you have this much trouble with your income tax return too? I sympathize with you!!

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