Maude reminding Ned that the post office will be opening (not closing) is one of the funniest details. Like he has to be the absolute first person in for the year or he'll be late.
...Not to mention adding that he'd better not "risk" it, implying he thinks it possible the government could find out AND nail him for tax purposes for enjoying the smell. These 212 seconds contain about 100 grade-A jokes.
@@SpikeTheWolf Let me see if i can explain it. Ned bought the ink to use in his store, so he can put it down in his taxes as a business expense. By doing so, he's essentially saying to the government, "look, i had to spend some money to run my business, which reduces my net profit, so i don't need to pay as much in taxes." That's perfectly fine. But, if Ned were to claim that something was a business expense when in reality it wasn't, like a car that he bought for his wife, that would be fraudulent and would get him in trouble with the IRS. Ned says that he enjoys the smell of cash register ink, so even thought he bought it for his business, he believes it could be considered a personal expense, which would mean he doesn't get to claim it as a business expense. He says "better not risk it" and files the ink as a personal expense instead, because he believes it's better to pay slightly more in taxes than to get in trouble with the IRS. The joke is that of course the ink is a business expense, but Ned doesn't want to take the chance in case the fact that he enjoys the smell classifies the ink as a personal expense. Hope that clears it up
I must say that every so often, I revisit this video. There's something very calming and satisfying about watching Ned Flanders do his taxes properly and well in advance, and serves as a constant pleasant reminder for me not to procrastinate.
as a kid, I always thought flanders was lame, but as an adult I both envy and respect his attitude to things and work ethic. they hurt him so bad in the later seasons.
@@maelkew3337 Flanderization. It's a trope named after ned. used when a character has a singular trait exaggerated out of proportion to a point they no longer even resemble their original characterization anymore
whyd you have to go and make things so complicated? i see the way youre acting like youre somebody else. gets me frustrated. simply admit that i am the funniest and greatest and sm*rtest and coolest and strongest yout*ber of all time! admit it, dear sr
I love classic Ned's character because he wasn't JUST a figure of fun. Despite how ridiculous it looks for him to be doing taxes that early, they still do show that everyone else suffered by leaving it to the last minute. The contrast between him and Homer only works when he is actually an intelligent, upstanding citizen and not just the weird caricature he is now
You can't make Ned a compelling and interesting guy when you as a writer have nothing but contempt for his religious belief structure that makes him so.
@@michaelcallistoIndeed. Predisposition and bias are the reason more and more media is increasingly becoming more like mouthpieces for particular beliefs instead of simply portraying life and beauty as it is. People like to point out the hypocrisy of religious people as "proof" the belief system is useless, while ignoring all the positive things it produces. Almost all of the best citizens I have known are all religious people. I am sure that if enough statistical studies were to be made about this, they would reflect the good impact Christianity has on people.
"It's literally the 11th hour, 10 PM." I love how in classic Simpsons it was impossible to go more than 5 seconds without a joke. They were just on another level.
@@danx9194”11th hour” is an expression similar to “last minute”. It’s funny here because it’s the 11th hour (as it’s about to close)… but the “literally” part complicates it (in a funny way) because 10pm obviously isn’t the 11th hour (which literally would be 11).
@lukefreeman828 When we talk about the 12 hours from Noon to Midnight, 10pm is the start of the 11th hour, just FYI. 12:00pm -> 12:59pm = 1st hour 1:00pm -> 1:59pm = 2nd hour 2:00pm -> 2:59pm = 3rd hour Etc... 10:00pm -> 10:59pm = 11th hour 11:00pm -> 11:59pm = 12th hour 00:00am (midnight) occurs immediately after the 12th hour finishes, and is the start of the 1st hour of the next cycle (midnight to noon). 00:00am -> 00:59am = 1st hour 1:00am -> 1:59am = 2nd hour Etc...
I once memorized this entire episode for a final class project (we had to memorize a 20 minute speech, and I asked the teacher if it could be a script. She said yes, and I read the script of this episode every day for a week).
It's also true. More people die around the holidays. I used to work for a union and I processed burial benefits for members. I got so many requests in the winter months. It was pretty sad, tbh.
That Flanders believes that his tax money goes to people who "just don't feel like working", but actually doesn't mind, tells you everything about his character.
@@illuminatiaqi6130 I initially took that line as "Ah who cares, they can do what they want," but honestly, I could just as easily see it as the classic stereotypical passive-aggressive "nice" person who smiles to your face but judges you behind your back.
@@HellqueenRoz Ned probably has some repressed anger toward them but he’s also a genuinely nice person most of the time. I think it’s probably a bit of both, leaning towards being charitable.
I heard from my dad, who’s an accountant, that the only people who can pay taxes that early are business owners. Which makes sense since Ned owns a business.
Yeah, I kind of ended up like Ned. Get the taxes done as early as possible so I don't have to think about them. God forbid I end up in last minute panic.
Good thing that I don't need to do taxes. Well for 2020 I needed to do taxes and I did them for 2019 at the same time (when I'm not required to do them, I can wait 3 years to do them). Also it's pretty easy when your income is straight forward, at least here in germany. Just entering some data from your paper or auto fill them, remembering how many days I drove to the office and how far it is. Then including extra expenses where you get more money back and then send it. With the software I buy it's pretty easy and I always got more back then I paid for the software. I don't need to leave my house for that. The only thing where I need to wait is until my boss did the papers and gave it to me.
One thing I loved about this episode was the fact that despite cramming his crumpled up returns into the envelope, they only ended up in the 'audit' pile by mistake, so Homer very possibly might have gotten away with it :=)
@@johnmartinez7440 I get the sense that Ned really likes doing his taxes. Although he stand to be a bit less prudent on what he's unwilling to declare a tax write-off
This scared the shit out of me as a kid. I remember worrying that I’d fuck up my taxes as an adult and end up in jail. Didn’t realize back then you could hire people to do your taxes.
Does everybody in the US need to file a tax report? Here in Germany you have the right to do so (and many people do because you can get good amount of money back) and at a certain income its mandatory (or if you have a more complex income situtation then it its mandatoy too, like earning money with renting out stuff or just working besides a normal day job in in general)
And the unions for people you hire to do it lobby like crazy for the system to never improve so you'd have to keep paying them for doing this shit for you until the inevitable collapse of the country. Legal corruption is fun!
@@MizantropMan Here in Germany we have good tax software, the software just asks you questions and guides you through the whole thing. You dont really need an professional you can do everything yourself, except if you have a medium sized business (or bigger, or a complex construct) then you may should get a professional (also its his fault then if he fucks up and so its usually good invested money, and also the amount you spent on the guy is tax deduactable (correct word?) so if you make revenue, litteraly free)
@@stephenwright8824 It's not explicitly mentioned, that he made his taxes on January 1st. Also "holiday-related fatalities" bit confirms, that by the time Ned did his taxes, holiday is already over.
To be fair, most people can't start their taxes exactly on January 1 and file it on January 2 when the Post Office opens like Ned. Most people have to wait on their employer to mail their W2 first. But, yeah, most people don't really have an excuse to not get it done by February. Personally, I file and pay in March. It's late enough to procrastinate but still early enough to not have to worry about it.
@@sonniepronounceds-au-ni9287 Ned can do so because he’s the employer and business owner in question. Of course, that means he has to do all the number crunching himself.
The thing that gets me all the time about this scene is the smooth and effortless way Flanders envelope goes in the mail slot after filling it with like 14 mints.
I like that at 1:05 and 1:18 you can see Dr. Hibbert standing in line at the post office showing that he also decided to wait until the last minute despite the advice Flanders gave him. Also I think it's a pretty safe guess to say that Kent decided to go to another accountant during the next tax season.
As a new wife, the whole exchange of "I put that on your to do pile a month ago" to which husband replies in a terrified and high voice "I have a to do pile!?" just hits different now
The irony is: Homer hasn't got time to count 3 children in front of him. But he has got enough time to figure out if he has 9 children he needs to count lisa and bart as 2 people and maggie as 7. Stunning comedy!
@@andrewshouse9840 someone I know wasn’t allowed to apply for a home loan because they had a bad debit history- they hadn’t paid a 38 cent thing and had to pay that off first then they finally accepted the home loan
Technically the IRS is illegal. As the following points show: 1) The power of the purse, meaning ANYTHING dealing with fiance goes to CONGRESS only. 2) The Fourth amendment says no UNWARRANTED search OR seizure. Meaning they cannot take ANYTHING from you without YOU committing a crime/ the having a warrant. 3) Only The House can make bills/laws involving money. It starts in the House of Representatives to the Senate to be signed, revised, and/or sent back if not passed to the President. Did you also know the US Constitution states it is not only you right, but responsibility to overturn any tyrannical government? Meaning ANY violation of your rights by the government, especially if done to a large extent like now, lets those wanting to stop it can seek to take those out of power by force is a legit option.
@UCNE6pYI7GwD8tqJ1TCBQhbw holy shit shut the fuck up. Even if that was correct, which it isn't, it doesn't matter. And even if it did matter, which it doesn't, nobody cares. And even if they did care, which they don't, it's a god damn clip from the Simpsons! Nobody is here for tax advice or whatever the fuck you think you're spewing.
@@DOSRetroGamer you do. he has hot wife and live good, pretty rich and morally good, not 100% as him, but you surely want to be more like him than homer. of course i'm not gonna count the shit low hit porpaganda made to him by made his 2 son gay.
Flanders is that one kid who always went straight home and finished the book report the day it was assigned instead of waiting until 10 pm the night before it was due.
I did something similar for a college French class. It was a 19th century poetry class, and I had to do a fifteen-minute presentation on a poem of my choice. Because mine was so lengthy, I got an earlier start that I usually would (not the exact same day it was assigned, but very early on). Some of it was because I wanted to cover as many of my bases as possible, some of it was because I genuinely liked the class.
At my previous employer we used to call that "shop blindness". It's a phenomenon where you become completely unaware of something that needs attention because it is there everyday and your brain phases it out. When somebody then mentions it to you it becomes blindingly obvious and you wonder how you ever missed it.
"No, no, I felt that! You didn't carry the one you foolish person" Love him or hate him, Frink might've just saved Lenny a visit to federal prison (or getting recruited by the FBI to be a rat)
They don't audit over a math error, they just send you a letter saying what the number was supposed to be a few weeks after they pay you what your refund would be if it was done correctly, or the letter and a bill for the correct amount if you owe them.
He makes the income and has the most important information. She could try to get copies of all his wages, expenses, and paperwork, but that still requires Homer to do things. In conclusion, because it's funny.
Gotta love good ol' fashioned cartoon logic. It takes Ned from midnight until a little before 8:45 just to find his tax folder and sit down at the kitchen table, but then he actually completes all his forms in pretty much under 10 seconds.
What I think it was is Ned was doing his taxes, almost finished the ones for the Leftorium and was on the fence about counting the ink as a business or personal expense, so he took care of the personal taxes, then went back to the ink, counting it as a personal expense, then finishing up.
@@reillymcwriting nevertheless it is still a fun pararell to homer who pretty much does the same, figures out his taxes in less than 10 seconds and then makes a run for it.
@@reillymcwritingNed had a lot of counting to do with both being a store owner and family taxes separately. That's why he went early to bed and had long 8 hours of calmly estimate his tax work.
I love how smug Kent's own accountant is in that line with Kent's equally late taxes. XD 1:00 And I know that should have been a cheery whistle, but since it's muted, it looked like Ned is doing a silent, "wow" to Dr. Hibert's errand.
Government when I make money: I am once again asking for your financial support Government when I buy something: I am once again asking for your financial support Government when I die: *I am once again asking for your financial support* Well, at least there's representation this time around. The amount of different "underrated lines" being commented about in these comments, of a 3 and a half minute clip, it must be noted, goes to show just how densely packed classic Simpsons episodes were with jokes. Specific scenes in episodes would be re-written dozens of times and it really shows, the writers clearly wanted as many good jokes per minute as possible.
Ah, the good ol' days when Ned Flanders was genuinely the only good and responsible person in Springfield before he reduced to nothing but an over the top bible thumper.
The thing that made old-school Simpsons wholesome was how despite his annoyances with the straight-laced Flanders family, Homer does admire Ned to an extent. He may not always tolerate his overly saccharine nature but he does acknowledge that Ned and his family are good people who want to spread kindness. Every character in the old Simpsons episode was likable in their own way.
@@AluminumFusion22 Unfortunately it feels like the writers became too focused on keeping up with other newer adult cartoon shows like Family Guy and South Park in their later years. They forgot what made The Simpsons stand out.
I saw this as a kid and dreaded my first tax report, but I didn’t know that our system in Sweden was different. In Sweden it’s more more simplified and is pretty much the IRS-equivalent sending out forms with some info already typed in asking “Is this correct?”, not requiring any extensive knowledge or assistance from an accountant to turn in properly. And if you haven’t made any profit from stocks or sales of property, you just confirm and send it back and pay the back tax or wait for the tax returns. When the time came however, they had made it even more simple by sending it electronically and you do the same thing but with less paper work! Also, you can get your tax returns earlier and since it’s secured by a electronic ID that you set up through your bank, it’s safe
There have been efforts for decades to make American taxes so simple that all the info can fit on a sheet "the size of a notecard", but something (probably accounting services lobbying? and the sheer business/trade volume of the U.S.) always held it back. Now it's become pretty much a moot issue because cheap tax software has simplified the process itself considerably, but it's going to remain a huge problem for millions of people.
In the US, we now have cheap software. It usually doesn't even take me an hour to fill it out and get the taxes sent away. If you have a business or more complicated returns, then you can hire someone to do it for you. Really, the only people who turn taxes into this big of a pain anymore are idiots
@@carlycrays2831 It is quite easy. It's just a shame that the reason it can't be even easier is that TurboTax, H&R Block, etc. lobby against reform in order to protect their business model. (Imagine hiring a doctor to treat the same disease that he is infecting you with each and every time.) I think it's worth a shot anyway, not to help the "idiots", but just to finally kick those tax service executives in the dick.
In the US, wealthy people and entities hire expensive lawyers to fill in tax forms in a way that's not technically illegal, but is full of lies and mischaracterization in order to minimize taxes paid and maximize returns. If the US gave them the forms containing the proper information, they wouldn't be able to do that. So they lobby. There's a reason the middle class pays almost all taxes in the US.
