Comment Re:I'm always happy when I have a tax liability (Score 1) 394
yes, using the government as a sort of "intrest free savings" is entirely valid... no, being smart and putting it into a real savings account is not actually being smart
The only difference between the two is that the government won't give it to you until the end of the year.
Which, for most poor people, is an excuse not to stick it in the savings account where it belonged, but rather to take a vacation you can't afford, buy a TV you can't afford, etc., depending on the size of the return. Because if they did stick it in a savings account, they'd just piss it away, exactly like the rest of their money.
The problem is that poor people simply can't not spend their money. They have to be faced with the imminent threat of homelessness and starvation before they'll give up the overpriced stuff that they buy because they think it makes their lousy life a little better. If they saved it, something might come along and they'd actually need it, and then they'd not have it and not have any fun. So they might as well have the fun now, and scrape up whatever they can when the actual need comes along.