Hola tax carnivalistas! And welcome to our 53rd Tax Carnival: Cinco Tax Celebración. Today's fortuitous meeting of taxes and Cinco de Mayo offers the perfect chance to party. And party is what you think of when you think of taxes, right?

OK, even I realize that might be a bit of a stretch. But, hey, after a few Margaritas, even the Internal Revenue Code is a fun read!

We've got a full tax house, with lots of different perspectives on lots of different tax topics, so let's get this tax fiesta started.

Madeleine Begun Kane presents Dear IRS, posted at Mad Kane's Humor Blog.

Vanessa Wolf presents My Best Tax Tips! They’re posted at Wide Awake in Wonderland.

Kathryn presents Free Money from the Government, posted at Out of Debt - Christian Finances and Debt Help.

Big Cajun Man says sometimes owing a five-figure tax bill, isn't as bad as it could be. Get details in Time to Pay the Tax Piper? It’s posted at Canadian Personal Finance Blog.

Super Saver presents Claiming a Parent as a Dependent on a Tax Return, posted at My Wealth Builder.

Beno Varghese presents An Average Person’s Tax Dollars, posted at BenoVarghese.com.

Jeff Tilley presents IRS Tax Penalties, posted at IRS Tax Problems.

Ben presents Taxes Are a Necessary Evil in Life, posted at Money Smart Life.

Patrick presents Free Tax Deadline Extensions for Military Personnel, posted at Military Finance Network.

Ryan Suenaga presents What Tax Deductibility Really Means, posted at Uncommon Cents.

Peter presents Don’t Forget To Make Your Estimated Tax Payment For Self Employment Income! It’s posted at Bible Money Matters.

MBR presents First time home buyer Tax Credit, posted at MonitorBankRates.com.

Matthew Paulson asks Do You Need a Second Chance on Your Tax Return? It’s posted at American Consumer News.

FFB presents Tax Season Is Finally Over! Or is it? Find the answer at Free From Broke.

Jeff Rose presents 7 Things To Know About The 2010 Roth IRA Conversion, posted at Jeff Rose.

Nickel presents Making Work Pay: Tax Credit Results in Reduced Federal Income Tax Withholding, posted at fivecentnickel.com.

Madison presents Solar Energy Tax Credits, posted at My Dollar Plan.

Peter Pappas presents Revenge of the Nerds II, or 3 Reasons State Tax Authorities are Worse than the IRS, posted at The Tax Lawyer's Blog.

Kevin presents Prepare for Your 2009 Tax Return Today, posted at No Debt Plan.

Sun presents Check Your Tax Refund Status Online, posted at The Sun's Financial Diary.

David Gross says the percentage of Americans who will be “lucky duckies” is likely to jump this year. A projected 43.4 percent of non-dependent Americans will owe no federal income tax. He has details The Picket Line.

Robert D Flach presents The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 – What's New for 2009 - Part II, posted at THE WANDERING TAX PRO.

FMF presents How to Select a Good Tax Professional, posted at Free Money Finance.

RateNerd presents How to Erase up to $2M in Debt Tax Free - How The Mortgage Debt Forgiveness Act Works, posted at RateNerd.

Praveen presents Illinois Governor Tries To Eliminate Flat Income Tax, posted at Simple Trading System.

The Smarter Wallet presents Charitable Giving: How To Make Your Charity Donations Count For More, posted at The Smarter Wallet.

Silicon Valley Blogger presents Tips On Claiming Your Tax Deductions for Business and Charitable Contributions, posted at The Digerati Life.

Ray presents Federal Income Tax Brackets, posted at Money Blue Book Blog.

Dan Meyer presents Staunch the Sweat (slightly): IRS Ideas on How to Handle an Audit, posted at Tick Marks.

The tax costs of things are examined by several of our tax blog contributors.

Jim talks about Buying Municipal or State Bonds, posted at Bargaineering.

Wren Caulfield presents A Macro Perspective: One way war keeps poor people poor, posted at True Adventures in Money Hacking.

Lubna says no corporate entity is able to survive today without cost cutting. “Upholding corporate values means being responsible for your taxes and those of your employees. Why should honest companies bear a higher administrative burden? Punish the irresponsible, don't burden the responsible,” she says in Law Street in The Economic Times (April). It’s posted at Talking Tax.

Britannica Blog presents Do Americans Support Capitalism, and Which Capitalism? It’s posted at Britannica Blog.

And on that note, our Cinco de Mayo tax party winds down. Thanks for dropping by. We'll be holding similar soirees each month, with our next get-together scheduled for June 1.

You can be a part of that upcoming Tax Carnival #54 by submitting your tax-related item via our Blog Carnival page. Before doing so, check out our guidelines -- tax-only articles please! -- as well as peruse previous carnivals.

Until then, gracias for joining us today and adios!