“Taxes are the price we pay for civilization.” – Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.

Are you ready for tax day? Did you know that you have until Tuesday, April 17 to file your taxes this year?

Citizens of most countries hate paying taxes. There is something about giving money to an entity that you have little control over that takes the joy out of writing those checks.

But, take heart. There are many reasons to turn that frown upside down as you write your checks to Uncle Sam this year. Consider this an exercise in positive thinking (I’m struggling, too).

Here are my top four reasons to be excited about paying your taxes.

1 – You made money. Only those people who are blessed enough to have made a reasonable income are asked to pay taxes. In fact, 45 percent of Americans pay no income taxes. If you are writing a check this year, you made more money than 45 percent of America. That is something to be excited about.

Are you paying more in taxes this year than last? Do you know what paying more in taxes is a sign of? Making more money. In fact, how much you pay in taxes is a great indicator of how much money you made. There are strategies to minimize the taxes you owe, but this rule holds true. Make more money and you pay more taxes.

Thanks to our progressive tax rates we do pay a higher tax rate when we make more money. But, I’ll take paying more in taxes over making less money any day.

2 – America is a bargain – kinda. According to the Tax Policy Center, Americans pay around 26 percent of our gross domestic product toward taxes at all levels of government. That is 8 percent lower than the average paid by the 34 countries in the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development. There are only four countries out of the 34 that pay less than us.

We do pay a lot in taxes, but much less than many other countries.

3 – Some Good is Coming of Your Taxes – It is difficult not to focus on the waste of our tax dollars, but a lot of good comes from our taxes. Roads are paved, fires are put out, our streets are made safer and the less fortunate are fed and housed. Our American world is a much kinder and gentler place than many countries who do not have the gross domestic product to support our levels of spending.

Yes, money is wasted. We can and should be better stewards of our tax dollars, but a lot of good comes from what we pay.

4 – Drumroll please… Most likely the percentage of taxes you pay on your earned income will drop next year.

If the check you write next April is bigger than it was this year, you probably made more money. Maybe that thought will give you a brief moment of happiness as you write next year’s check.

Have a business growth topic you’d like Curt to cover? Send suggestions to cfowler@valuesdrivenresults.com.