Sunday, April 15, 2018

Emancipation Day Affects Tax Filing Day

Tax day, in the U. S., is always April 15th......except this year when it will be Tuesday, April 17th.  Wait a minute!  When April 15th falls on a Sunday, tax day is always the next day.....except this year. Wonder why?

According to Google information - we have a "two day relief" this year. Because Washington, D. C. celebrates "Emancipation Day" on Monday, April 16th!

"What is Emancipation Day?"  you ask.

"On that day in 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed the District of Columbia Compensated Emancipation Act(an act of Compensated emancipation) for the release of certain persons held to service or labor in the District of Columbia.[26] The Act freed about 3,100 slaves in the District of Columbia nine months before President Lincoln issued his broader Emancipation Proclamation. The District of Columbia Compensated Emancipation Act represents the only example of compensation by the federal government to former owners of emancipated slaves.[27]
So, the Federal Goverment compensated Slave Owners who had slaves who had been freed? And the District of Columbia still observes this as a holiday??
"On April 16, 1862, President Lincoln signed the "District of Columbia  Compensated Emancipation Act."  This law prohibited slavery in the District, forcing its 900-odd slaveholders to free their slaves, with the government paying owners an average of about $300 for each. In 1863 state legislation towards compensated emancipation in Maryland failed to pass, as did an attempt to include it in a newly written Missouri constitution.[1][4][5][6]"
"On January 4, 2005, Mayor Anthony A. Williams signed legislation making Emancipation Day an official public holiday in the District.[28] Although Emancipation Day occurs on April 16, by law when April 16 falls during a weekend, Emancipation Day is observed on the nearest weekday.[29] This affects the Internal Revenue Service's due date for tax returns, which traditionally must be submitted by April 15. As the federal government observes the holiday, it causes the federal and all state tax deadlines to be moved to the 18th if Emancipation Day falls on the weekend and to the 17th if Emancipation Day falls on a Monday.[30]" 
"Each year, activities will be held during the public holiday including the traditional Emancipation Day parade celebrating the freedom of enslaved persons in the District of Columbia. The Emancipation Day celebration was held yearly from 1866 to 1901."
"In Columbus, Mississippi, Emancipation Day is celebrated on May 8, known locally as "Eighth o' May". As in other southern states, the local celebration commemorates the date in 1865 when African Americans in eastern Mississippi learned of their freedom. 
Though federal law outlawed slavery in the state, Mississippi itself did not ratify the federal constitutional amendment abolishing slavery until February 7, 2013.[31]""
"In Texas, Emancipation Day is celebrated on June 19. It commemorates the announcement in Texas of the abolition of slavery made on that day in 1865. It is commonly known as Juneteenth. Since the late 20th century, this date has gained recognition beyond Texas, and has been proposed for a national Emancipation Day."
And, this, my friends is why you have an extra day.....this year.....to file your taxes.
(Note: Quoted passages have been copied from Google searches.)
#April15 #WashingtonDCEmancipationDayObservation
#slavery #emancipationdayaffectsfederaltaxday

No comments: