Husband keeps dragging his feet on filing our taxes, costing us penalties

DEAR ABBY: My husband and I have been married 46 years. During the last five, he has procrastinated about doing our income taxes to the point that we have been charged penalties. He keeps saying he’ll work on it, but everything else is a bigger priority.

I gathered all the necessary documents and printed out a tax worksheet. My husband has his own small business, which complicates things. I hate this hanging over my head. I told him I won’t go on our planned camping trip if this isn’t done beforehand, and I intend to follow through. I can’t get him to give me a straight answer for why he keeps doing this. It’s ruining our otherwise great marriage. — MONEY WOES IN FLORIDA

DEAR MONEY WOES: Locate a certified public accountant who can take over this task. Then give your husband a deadline to file the taxes, and if he doesn’t meet it, turn the necessary information over to the CPA, who may be able to discover something advantageous.

Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.