Why you shouldn't cheat on your taxes

This post comes from Jim Wang at partner blog Bargaineering.

Have you ever been tempted to cheat on your taxes? asks a recent post on The New York Times' You're the Boss blog. Like almost everyone else, I've been tempted (everyone has been tempted or thought about it -- if you haven't, then you're a much better person than the majority) but I've never cheated on my taxes.

Here are just three reasons why:

It's illegal. The first reason is the most obvious one: Tax evasion is illegal. Remember Wesley Snipes? He's in prison right now for three years after being convicted of failure to file tax returns. 

• Tax IQ quiz

How much would you pay to avoid being in prison? I don't know about you but I'd happily pay my taxes to avoid jail.

It's not profitable. Would you steal a dollar if you could keep only 35 cents? What if you could only keep 25 cents? Depending on your tax bracket, that's exactly what you're doing. When you fail to declare a dollar of income, you basically "get" a fraction of that. Even after you add in FICA and state taxes, you're still getting only half of what you're stealing. You take all of the risk but you get only half of the return. It's simply not profitable.

Let's say you play the numbers game. How many people evade taxes and aren't caught? How many hours does it take to try to clear your name? Do the math and tell me whether it's better for you to spend that time trying to earn more money or whether you should try to evade taxes on what you've already earned. (Let's not even consider how much prison time you might get!)

• Find a new broker and trade online

It's bad for society. When you engage in tax evasion, you're basically stealing from everyone else who does pay taxes. You aren't stealing from the government or some amorphous entity that you can dehumanize. You are stealing from your neighbor. You are stealing from your parents. You are stealing from your children.

The rules are the rules and you pay what you owe. I'm glad to read stories like this where people who fail to pay taxes are punished It's an interview with Gary Barbera, who failed to pay $77,675 in taxes. He had to pay $119,744.55 in restitution and interest, a $30,000 fine, plus got three years of probation that included ankle-bracelet monitoring while on house arrest.

There are plenty of reasons why you shouldn't cheat on your taxes. These are just three.

More from Bargaineering and MSN Money:

• The 2011 stimulus check: 2% payroll tax holiday
• 2010 Bush era tax cuts extenders bill explained
• Dividend achievers
• 10 don't-even-bother-to​-try-it tax deductions
• Rich urged to give away tax cuts
• You don't want a tax refund loan