And now we’re back where we started
Here we go round again …

Gotcha … actually, it was the lyrics to “Sunny Afternoon” that took center stage.

The tax man’s taken all my dough
and left me in my stately home
lazing on a sunny afternoon
And I can’t sail my yacht — he’s taken everything I’ve got
all I’ve got’s this sunny afternoon
Save me, save me, save me from this squeeze…

According to NPR, about half of America will be saved from the squeeze this year, when 47 percent of filers will pay no federal income tax for 2009 filings. Before you start trying to figure out how you can join that 47 percent, consider that one reason for this is low — or even non-existent — income levels. Of course, credits, deductions and exemptions help, too. But if you’re not among this 47 percent, what can you do to make tax time a little less worrisome?

Let’s face it, the easiest way to avoid tax-time blues is to file your taxes on time or early. In fact, the earlier, the better, especially if you’re anticipating a refund. For the almost 90 million filers to date (as of April 2, 2010, the IRS reports receipt of 89,970,000 individual tax returns), about 74 million have already received their refunds — approximately 58 million of which were directly deposited into filers’ bank accounts.

Of course, if you haven’t filed your income taxes yet, there’s no lazing on this sunny afternoon for you. And if you don’t think you’re going to make the deadline, all hope isn’t lost. You’ll just need to file an extension. And don’t dally on that, too, or it will cost you.