Along with the bright promise of spring comes the spectre of tax time. Every year I start out with new file folders, marked with big letters for all my different income and expenses but that organization seems to only last a couple of months and I end up with a big bulk file at the end of the year that I have to sort through before going to my accountant.

I was told years ago not to complain about paying taxes because if I had to pay taxes that meant that I had earned the income.

I have come to realize that the government takes the frills and leaves us with the basics. For example, a harp is just a piano after taxes.

In January I received a brown envelope from Revenue Canada and, not expecting any good news, I waited a couple of days until I was in the right frame of mind to open a letter from a government agency. To my surprise, it was a cheque for $2.42 for an 鈥榦verpayment on my 2016 taxes.鈥�

I had to wonder how much time and effort went in to calculating that, processing the cheque and mailing it out to me. But being patriotic, I cashed it and went to Tim Hortons and bought a double, double and a Canadian maple doughnut just to keep the cash circulating and the economy growing.

I realize that by paying my taxes I am looking after people and supporting the country. I am just no longer sure which people in which country I am supporting. We seem to be continually firing off millions to other countries and I do believe we still have issues here at home to deal with.

I wouldn鈥檛 buy new shingles for my neighbour鈥檚 house if my own roof was leaking.

I have been very fortunate. I have never been on welfare, never collected Employment Insurance or Worker鈥檚 Compensation and never had to apply for bankruptcy, government loans or subsidies. I have paid my way and earned my pension.

I do take issue with my government handing out $10 million tax dollars, no matter what the circumstances, to someone who has contributed nothing to my country or its people. I wonder if that person who made out my $2.42 cheque will process the one for $10 million. Will it be sent in the same brown envelope or will he be given a big lottery cheque in front of the Parliament buildings while receiving one more apology. I can only imagine what our seniors and veterans could do with an extra $10 million.

I saw a man crying on a park bench. 鈥淚 had everything, a roof over my head, three meals a day, cable, phone, full medical and dental, now it鈥檚 all gone.鈥� I asked, 鈥淒id you get fired, downsized, divorced?鈥� He replied 鈥淣o, I got paroled!鈥�

I sound very selfish and un-Canadian, imagine someone complaining out loud. I鈥檇 better shut up and get back to work. At least that鈥檚 what McGregor says.