April 15 has come and gone, so why aren’t our tax returns due until Tuesday?
When the 15th falls on a weekend, the government moves the deadline to the following Monday. This year, however, that Monday happens to be a holiday in Washington, so the government gives us one more day to file.
But there’s another caveat.
That holiday, Emancipation Day, marks the signing of a bill that freed slaves in the District of Columbia on April 16, 1862. Monday is only a holiday because, like Tax Day, Emancipation Day also fell on a weekend, pushing its official observance onto the first day of the work week.
Thus our two extra days to file come courtesy of a rare confluence of circumstances on the calendar.
But if you haven’t filed by now, you’re probably too busy working on your returns to care.
Emily Jashinsky is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.
