I hate income taxes.  We can have a philosophical debate about the need for taxes and how they are a part of living in America (which is true).   But at the end of the day, I’m just not a fan of the government taking a sizable chuck out of my paycheck.

In fact, I don’t agree with many things that go on in Washington.  I think spending is completely out of control.  And the efficiency at which they use and allocate my tax money is absurd.

But that doesn’t make it okay for me to lie.

Cheating on your taxes, not reporting cash income, or bending the rules in any other deceitful or illegal manner when filing is LYING!  It makes you nothing more than a thief and a liar.  You’re not “pulling a fast one” or “sticking it to the man”.  You’re not smart or crafty.

Lying on your taxes doesn’t say something about the government, it says something about YOU!

Dr. Thomas Stanley wrote the book The Millionaire Mind.   It’s an extensive case study on very wealthy people, millionaires.  He came up with a list of 30 success factors he observed with these folks.

The higher a characteristic or trait was to the top of this list, the higher value these millionaires attributed it to their success.  For example, college education and GPA were on list.  Most of these millionaires did graduate from college, but the average GPA was under a 3.0.  So, college education and GPA were actually classified fairly low.

Some of the things near the top were “having a supportive spouse” and “discipline”.  However, the number one contributing factor was INTEGRITY.  These millionaires are extreme when it comes to telling the truth.  Many of them said integrity was the driving force in acquiring wealth and maintaining it.

When you lie, the only person you ultimately hurt is you!  Lying is short-term thinking.  It’s saying “I’m willing to lie to get something in my hand now, but lose in the end”.