Tax times two

We just finished our US taxes this week and let out our annual sigh of relief that they were finally finished. Just like every year, we used our usual tax software ($40) to enable us to spend basically an entire weekend inputting and double-checking data. We filed electronically (an extra $17 for the federal return plus $17 more for the state return). So, basically, it took $75 plus one couple-weekend to file a fairly standard 1040 return. We're glad we double-checked, too, since an inadvertant extra digit in the cost basis for a stock we sold almost cost us a thousand dollars. Two years ago I transposed the hundreds and tens digits in my W-2 federal withholding, meaning we paid $180 too little in tax, which prompted a substantial correspondence with the IRS and the payment of the rightful tax due plus a minor penalty that probably just barely covered the cost of government postage.

We got our Norwegian tax returns in the mail this week. Since the government has access to year-end summaries of everyone's financial information (just like the US government), the returns come already completed for you with your refund or tax due calculated at the bottom of the page, ready to be direct-deposited into or paid out of your bank account. Unless some of the information is incorrect, all you do is approve the return. All you have to do is text message the word "TAX" plus your tax ID number and a five-digit PIN code to the number provided. Ten minutes, tops, plus eight cents for a text message, and you're done.

I know which form I prefer.