Before getting married, my wife and I had to go on a marriage preparation course. This is where you ‘explore’ how well you know each other and what you expect from the other person. When the topic of DIY skills came up, my wife snorted with laughter. You see, I’m the type of guy who’ll go into the hardware shop and ask for a ‘long stand’, a ‘glass hammer’ and ‘rubber nails’. Clueless, in other words. (A few years ago I spent a good 30 minutes trying to drill a hole in the wall, only to be told that I had the damn thing on reverse.)
I know I’m capable of learning basic DIY skills, but the sheer thought of it makes my head go fuzzy, I get anxious and – I’m told – a little cranky. Mostly I’d prefer to do just about anything else. So now I generally get someone else to do it (thanks cuz).
So what has all this got to do with tax, you ask?
Well, here at Red Oak, we know that many people feel the same way about doing their taxes as I feel about doing DIY.
unlike with my household DIY, I actually enjoy the theory behind taxes (I know, I’m a strange breed), and find tax calculations and concepts simple to grasp. I have an aptitude for using numbers and mathematical approaches to solve real-life problems.
Of course, everything is simple if you know how to do it – and have the appetite for it. Otherwise, you can find yourself either underpaying or missing out on a tax credit or refund you were due.
If you understand enough about the tax system as it pertains to you, are willing to give of your time to stay up to date with your knowledge and are confident that you will do your taxes correctly and efficiently, then you should certainly ‘DIY’ it.
But if it’s not your cup of tea, and it feels too much like just another chore you’d rather avoid, we’d like to think we can be your tax buddy.
John ‘Do No DIY’ O’Connor
My recent DIY purchases:
https://www.mcquillantools.ie/rubber-nails/
https://www.mcquillantools.ie/glass-hammer/
https://www.scotclans.com/tartan-paint-now-available-on-scotclans/
http://www.chadwicks.ie/blog/tricks-of-the-trade-hilarious-fools-errands/
Credit to PJ Kelly homevalue for the photo, you are my type of hardware store!