Why would I show friends my tax return? I know I’ve shared the amount I’ve gotten back with close friends but it’s not usually something I just tell anyone.
@SpatzieLover Why is that, though? Isn’t it because taxes and earnings are the most intimate information we can share with someone because we value money and compete over it so much?
@laureth You demand a legitimate reason for someone to be interested in your breasts? What if someone is interested for no particular reason at all except perhaps that there’s nothing on TV at that moment?
They may be interested in my breasts, but I am not interested in them, so no deal. Similarly, I can’t think of any good reason for them to be interested in the cup size of my tax return, either. Nothing good can come of it, but plenty of bad.
@BenByTheWay I don’t work out of the home while I raise my son. I can’t imagine why anyone would need/want to know what my husband makes, though, nor can I imagine sharing my salary info while I was working.
Because true intimacy is scary for some people and in the greater picture we live in an imbalanced society which demands secrecy. And this is damaging for the collective overall. If we all knew this information some would feel surprised, ashamed, angry, hurt and the inequity of our system would be apparent to all.
I don’t really want to see my friends’ tax returns. I don’t care how much money they make and I don’t care how much check they got back.
If they tell me they’re broke, I’ll feel sorry for them and try to suggest only cheap outings, if they tell me they got a raise I’ll be happy for them and suggest a celebration. That’s about as far as it goes. Why would I care about the numbers?
Because people get worked up over money, and so you can’t win. If you make more than someone else, there’s a chance they’ll envy you or resent you; if you make less than someone else, there’s a chance that they’ll pity you or try to help you out. Most of the time, it’s information that people just don’t need to know.
Regardless of the motivation of the questioner. I just adore you holier than thou well meaning helpful folks the basis of a transparent society can only foster a more fair and equitable society over time. Isn’t it outrageous that we bailed out billion dollar corporations and they tried to cover insane bonuses and scoffed at our outrage recently? Thank God we can be privy to information. @daloon
I find that funny. Here you have two people that share the most intimate parts of themselves with each other but money is secret? To me that would indicate a lack of trust
And this I think is the heart of the issue. As a society we do not trust each other but further openness can only foster trust.
@SeventhSense It’s a joke! It is impossible not to share financial information if you file a joint return;-) I have such a good deadpan delivery, don’t I?