filthy
characterized by obscenity
Partly, it seems, the Chinese corporate tourists are beguiled by the Valley’s dreamlike promises of changing the world and growing
filthy rich almost overnight.
New York Times (Dec 5, 2016)
Words for repellent things and words for enormous things have a tendency to overlap, and that’s how
filthy came to describe the rich: specifically, people who have so much money it’s outrageous and obscene.
deduction
a decrease in the gross amount on which a tax is calculated
Eliminating tax
deductions and credits to pay for lower tax rates is a strategy that sends economists’ hearts aflutter.
New York Times (Apr 11, 2017)
This word is sweet music to the ears of taxpayers: when you have a deduction, you can trim your taxable income, which means fewer dollars owed and ulcers grown.
exemption
deduction allowed to a taxpayer because of his or her status
An exemption is an exception: official permission to not do something you would normally have to do. People can get exemptions from jury duty, military service, and who knows what else; I’m a columnist, not a lawyer. In tax terms, an exemption creates a tax-free bubble around income or purchases.
wealth
the state of being rich and affluent
Many people would rather pull stakes and move to an entirely different place than share their
wealth with "others."
New York Times (Apr 8, 2017)
You’ve probably heard rich folks described as
wealthy: that means they have
wealth. At minimum, this suggests what is technically referred to as “loads of dough.”
destitute
poor enough to need help from others
Lots of people have money problems: but only the truly poor are destitute. To be destitute is to have no money for food, shelter, or anything else. This has also been a word for people lacking more than money: you can destitute of friends, companionship, hope, and/or freedom. Many people are. Now I’m depressed. Let’s just move on.
estimate
judge to be probable
If you’re a freelancer like myself, most of your jobs don’t take out any taxes. That gives you two choices: every April, pay the federal government a zillion dollars, including several pounds of flesh. The better option is to make
estimated payments four times a year. To do that, you need to
estimate how much you should pay. Estimating isn’t like guessing: it’s more like measuring, though not quite that exact.
accountant
someone who maintains and audits financial records
“Farmers wear a lot of hats,” Hearst said, explaining many farmers are their own managers,
accountants and marketing team, along with the duties of farming.
Washington Times (Apr 10, 2017)
Accountants keep financial records for businesses, individuals, and the secret worldwide Illuminati, probably. Many accountants also do people’s taxes. Accountants, as the name implies, keep track of
accounts. You might have a checking account and savings account, but businesses have all sorts of accounts related to equipment, training, food, advertising, etc. They might even have a
Swiss bank account—a term often used in jokes to indicate someone is hiding money from the feds.
refund
money returned to a payer
Tax time isn’t always a nightmare. Some lucky folks pay too much tax during the year, so they get a refund. Since
funds refers to money, this is a perfect word for money you get back.
Refund is one of the happiest words in the language. It’s related to
funding, which is the money that makes something happen.
dough
informal term for money
Dough is an old word for the pasty stuff, made of flour or meal that gets molded and baked into bread. But since the mid-1800s, dough has also meant
moolah.
cash
money in the form of bills or coins
This popular term for money is often literal, meaning bills and coins. If a restaurant only accepts cash, they won’t take a credit card, check, or IOU.
government
study of the authority of states and other political units
People complain a lot about the government on Tax Day. Well, they do that on all other days too, but complaints reach a peak on April 15 because the government collects those taxes.
loophole
an ambiguity that makes it possible to evade an obligation
Tax law is riddled with
loopholes embedded in the economy and defended by beneficiaries.
Reuters (Mar 31, 2017)
code
a set of rules or principles or laws
moolah
informal terms for money
The lemonade stand raked in some serious
moolah for the kids, earning them a hefty profit of $250 in just three hours.
This slang term for money is silly and awesome.
Uncle Sam
a personification of the United States government
Uncle Sam is set to keep more than $1 billion in unclaimed 2013 tax refunds at this year’s filing deadline, according to the Internal Revenue Service.
The Kansas City Star (April 3, 2017)
This character represents the United States, so his name gets thrown around a lot at tax time, when the government comes to collect.