Although Tax Day is officially April 18 this year (Monday), April 15 is still a good time to think about taxes, and the many ways Washington misuses its revenues.

Citizens Against Government Waste has once again released its Pig Book, which documents some of the worst examples of wasteful spending.

“Pork-barrel spending is alive and well in Washington, D.C., despite claims to the contrary,” the Pig Book explained. “For the fourth time since Congress enacted an earmark moratorium that began in fiscal year (FY) 2011, Citizens Against Government Waste has unearthed earmarks in the appropriations bills.”

The Pig Book documents 124 instances of pork-barrel spending.

That’s up 17 percent from last year, for a total of $5.1 billion.

Here’s one example: “The 2016 Pig Book features another $40 million to upgrade the M1 Abrams tank, which is opposed by the Pentagon. Over the objections of senior DOD officials, members of Congress have for many years been earmarking funds for the M1 upgrade program. Although the tank plant is located in Lima, Ohio, its suppliers are spread across the country, which helps to explain the widespread support.”

The Army doesn’t want or need the upgrades.

“This earmark was added despite the repeated protests of Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno, who has stated that the Army has more than enough tanks, including 2,000 sitting idle in the California desert,” CAGW reported. “The Army has proposed delaying the M1 upgrade program until 2017, saving taxpayers $3 billion. During this timeframe, the DOD would focus on designing the next generation of tanks, which would be better equipped for the changing nature of warfare. Intended to take on other tanks, the M1 Abrams proved susceptible to asymmetric tactics, such as improvised explosive devices employed by insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan.”

There are many other examples of wasteful spending in the military budget.

“The Department of Defense received a $20 million earmark for alternative energy research,” CAGW explained. “Since FY 2004, Congress has used the defense appropriations bill as a vehicle to insert 26 earmarks worth $274.9 million for this purpose, despite the fact that the Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act supplies billions of dollars for alternative energy research every year. There is no need for the Pentagon to be engaged in research for alternative energy.”

Another example of pork the Pig Book shines a light on is the East-West Center in Hawaii.

“The center is intended to promote better relations with Pacific and Asian nations.,” CAGW said. “The center was established by Congress in 1960 with no congressional hearings, and over the State Department’s opposition. For years, the State Department tried to eliminate the center by not requesting funding in the department’s annual budget requests.”

But Hawaii’s congressional delegation makes sure the center is fully funded each year – in fact, the 2016 appropriation was $5.9 million more than the center requested.

The Pig Book makes an important point. The government is very, very good at spending money – just not spending it well.