It’s been said that there are two things no one can escape:
death and taxes. That statement holds very true; in fact, it’s so true that it
even applies to astronauts who are orbiting above Earth. And, believe it or
not, orbiting astronauts are still required to meet the annual April 15th
deadline, just like everyone else.
Leroy Chiao is a great example of how tax law knows no
bounds of time or space. Chiao is a NASA astronaut, a commander, and in 2005,
he had to file his taxes even though he was currently in space! Luckily for
Chiao, his sister- still on Earth- is an accountant, so she pulled some
maneuvers and filed to have his return deadline extended.
Chiao returned to planet Earth nine days after the tax
deadline and dutifully filed his taxes. For astronauts who, unlike Chiao, don’t
have accountant sisters, there are other options. Many choose to file taxes
early, before they go on their missions, or they file for extensions before
they head into space. Others have friends, family members, or spouses (on
Earth) handle their taxes while they’re gone.
The bottom line is that, if astronauts who are in an
entirely different realm can manage to file their taxes on time and, in fact,
are required to do so, so are you! If you know of circumstances, such as traveling
abroad, that would make it difficult for you to file on time, file for an
extension or, better yet, leave your taxes in the hands of a capable
accountant. Obviously, if being in space isn’t a good enough excuse to skip out
on taxes, there really is no circumstance that should prevent you from doing so
either. Get yourself an accountant so that you can always file on time, no
matter where you happen to be.
