Return to Article: Report: Tax code complexity places heavy burden on IRS
-
14408
This is for the guru who called "Fed" a "brain-dead right-wing talking point parrot." An accusation such as that only serves to show what a myopic liberal twit you are. I'm sure there are a few conservatives that take a handout but it pales in comparison to the vast majority of socialist losers feeding from the government trough which has been perpetually stocked by the Democrats for decades. The Democrats are the leaders in "give-away" programs and, in the process, have created a welfare state consisting of all these dweebs who were brainwashed to vote for them because they're all promised a space at the government udder. The reason why is because they can't think for themselves or are too lazy to do what it takes to make it like the rest of us.
As far as rewriting the tax code, do you honestly trust your comrades to do it? If so, I'll save you some time and trouble -- just get yourself one of Mao's Little Red Books; that's what it will amount to.
-
14396
Wouldn't this be a great place for viewers to express themselves in ways that provided ideas/solutions that ultimately resolve the topic issues rather than slandering others. Surely you view discriminating against a person's political affiliation as one in the same as discriminating against a person's ethnicity, culture, religion, or economic situation?
Federal tax and the IRS are different than your state income and sales tax. There isn't one solution to fix the IRS and state tax issues. For the federal tax system, wouldn't a flat tax work? What if The federal tax had a cafeteria style plan, e.g. everyone starts at a base tax rate, for the sake of the example let's say 20 percent. If you want to participate in Social Security/Medicare/Medicaid, you contribute another percentage of your income, let's say 2- to 3 percent. The taxpayer essentially would have the option to select the tax plan that was most appropriate for their situation and have the responsibility of managing it. Congress/Senate could only make changes to the tax percentages based on certain economic criteria. The government runs on tax revenue. In order to increase tax revenue, the citizen income would have to increase. When citizen income increases we generally spend more. When we spend more we pay more in state sales tax. The amount in state taxes is derived from what the citizens pass via initiatives, levies, bonds, etc. At the state level, people generally vote on items that are important to them.
Getting a politician to quit spending tax revenue is just as hard as getting a welfare recipient off public assistance. Sometimes it just takes tough love and a desire to promote the greater good.
What's your solution?
-
14378
It's true that necessities don't have to be taxed, but all too often they are. I don't live in the same state as you. Food and clothing are still taxed, and I'm sure houses are too, though I haven't bought one yet.
As for the senator who says a sales tax is fairest, do you really want to depend on the honesty of politicians? :)
And Fed, we all know no true conservative would ever take a government handout. Seriously, shut up, you're a brain-dead right-wing talking point parrot. At least try thinking for yourself for a change.
Come on, everybody. Do you really trust the current crop in Washington to competently rewrite the tax code? Or any group of politicians in the history of the planet?
-
14318
Re: I read somewhere that IRS instructions are written at the third-grade level. This is compared to the Washington Post, written at the eighth-grade level, and the New York Times at the tenth-grade level. But, even at the third-grade level, the tax code still comes across as incomprehensible gobbledygook.
Maybe you should ask a third grader !
-
14310
Several points based on the comments:
1. I have lived in several states that exempt food, drugs, laundry and dry cleaning, residential rents but not temporary housing, and other necessities from the sales tax. The same could be done in a national sales tax system. I think the greatest disservice to the middle income group is property tax because the property does not generate cash to pay the tax and its value increases because of excessive government spending that fosters inflation to increase assessed values.
2. We do not need to dumb down the code because the IRS personnel cannot handle it. There should be no help desk at IRS -- you want help you pay for it.
3. It is not only accountants that prepare taxes but it is a big business for lawyers so the lawyers in Congress have a great incentive to make it more complex to generate more expensive business. Don't let these guys get on the "death tax" because only dumb people pay a death tax -- you ever heard of trust funds?
4. The flat tax is a bad idea because any tax on income is a bad idea. We should tax products not income. A sales tax is a move in that direction or a value added tax. However, my fear is that Congress will enact a sales or value added tax and not get rid of the income tax. I am all for increasing tariffs to generate government income as was the case before the income tax. Particularly based on our great import of goods from foreign countries.
5. Tax structure should tax consumption not savings or income. Property tax is a tax on savings. At a minimum the property tax should be limited and home mortgage interest should not be deductible.
-
14292
Necessities do not have to have a sales tax added to them. The state I live in only has sales tax on non-necessities. Clothing, food, housing, etc. are not taxed. Cars, yachts, furniture, some services, gasoline, gifts, etc. are taxed. The taxing authority has sole discretion over what it chooses to tax. In fact, one senator I spoke to said a sales tax is the fairest tax and because of its broad application, and would impact people far less than income taxes.
Time for you to go back to Economics 101.
-
14286
No big deal. The poor don't spend money on necessities anyway. They are given every thing through the various welfare handouts. The only necessity that they will pay more tax on is comfort foods which aren't a necessity.
-
14269
Tax burden on the IRS -- big deal we don't care, we all have our problems now don't we. But what do you expect, it's not the IRS and its employees, it's the nut job lawyers turned politicians in both houses that are looking out for number 1 and that isn't us. I think our political democracy has been corrupted by these blood sucking, self-serving lawyers by trade. They know the law and twist it any way they can to advance themselves.
-
14260
Hate to burst your bubble, but a sales tax isn't just on "discretionary income." Sales tax is charged when you buy food, clothing, gasoline, a car, a house. The poor would be more affected by a sales tax because they have to spend a greater portion of their income on necessities. The rich are the ones who have the option to cut discretionary spending and reduce the impact of a sales tax.
Finally, a sales tax can be a dangerously volatile source of revenue. People's income doesn't change all that much from year to year, nor do property values, but consumer spending fluctuates wildly. And if the economy tanks, a government running on sales taxes would run out of money at the very time people were calling for help to get out of the slump. Kind of a vicious cycle.
-
14248
The IRS help desk is no help, but what do all you expect? The tax laws have become more complicated because the blood sucking lawyers who comprise our legislative body are in office, lawyers can make the simple into the most complicated. Yes, let's make a flat tax out of it and rid us of the back stabbing, cork screwing, double down dealing lawyer, by the way get them out of the medical field as well and the divorce industry.
Your buddy, President Bush
-
14238
Better yet, get rid of the income tax and replace it with a national sales tax. Then the businesses will collect the taxes for the IRS and send the money to Washington. No need for very many staff for the IRS -- just enough people to make sure the businesses comply and monitor the sales tax returns.
Poor people won't pay much sales tax because they don't have a lot of discretionary income. This is a very fair tax whose time has come. Watch the government make sure the economy is booming along to keep those sales tax revenues up!
This is the ultimate outsourcing solution to save government money.
And by the way, you promoters of a flat tax will only get a flat tax for the poor. The rich will get the usual loopholes.
-
14230
I believe the earlier comments took Ms. Olson's statement that the tax code should be "simple enough so that IRS telephone assistors can fully and accurately answer taxpayers' questions" out of context of the larger issues of the article and the report it summarized. My quibble with Ms. Olson on this particular point is that the tax code should be simple enough so that taxpayers don't have to call IRS to seek clarifications.
Tax assistors, who, by the way, are largely seasonal hires brought on for a few months during the tax season, are not required to be college graduates. And, the answers to many tax questions do not play out as a simple "if this, then that" logic flow. It's more of an "if this, unless those, but for these, but only if, except in the case of, if two of the following three conditions are met, then that" construction. This is just a guess, but I think Ms. Olson's point is that the inability of even IRS to answer tax code questions evidences the need for simplification.
Oh, another point: I read somewhere that IRS instructions are written at the third-grade level. This is compared to the Washington Post, written at the eighth-grade level, and the New York Times at the tenth-grade level. But, even at the third-grade level, the tax code still comes across as incomprehensible gobbledygook.
EJC in ATL
-
14209
Everyone knows that having a flat tax is the farthest we can dumb things down. It doesn't take much to multiply your income by a tax rate -- e.g. $100,000 x 28 percent is $28,000. But, the real issue isn't about dumbing it down, but rather how to keep all those college educated accountants employed. If the dumbest among us can figure the tax code out, there won't be a need for accountants, who by the way, generally have a higher income than most citizens, which creates more tax revenue, for your elected officials i.e. the government to spend on worthwhile projects like rebuilding cities in the middle of a flood plain. Make the tax code easy for the taxpayer, so the government can free up the IRS for internal government audits.
This election year, "Tell your Congressman to help you out by supporting a flat tax." A flat tax is a good thing and it is equitable!
-
14195
I agree with the article that the tax code needs to be "dumbed down" to the level of those working in the tax authority office. Just as the education offered by our colleges has been dumbed down to increase enrollments and revenues for the schools! Anyone can get a college degree today because all they have to do is find the college with the lowest level of requirements to gain the degree that qualifies them for a job in the tax authority. Best example is all those that get degrees through web courses -- they are significantly dumbed down to enlarge enrollment and revenues for the colleges. Why would you expect the staff at the taxing authority -- even though they may have a degree -- to be competent? Most of them have not even read the instructions themselves!
-
14190
Value Added Tax would make a lot more sense than income taxes -- especially since the IRS can't even figure out the tax code.
PROMO RIGHT: EVENTS
UPCOMING WEBINARS
NOVEMBER 18
Speed bumps for Teleworking: What are they and how to avoid them?
DECEMBER 3
Achieve Program Success: Unlock the Management Information in Your Data
DECEMBER 10
Practical Transparency: Applying Exchange Networks for Mission Results
PROMO RIGHT: DIRECTORIES
Post a Comment
To post a comment, you must provide a name and a valid e-mail address. Messages must be limited to 400 words. By using this Service you agree not to post material that is obscene, harassing, defamatory, or otherwise objectionable. Although Government Executive does not monitor comments posted to this site (and has no obligation to), it reserves the right to delete, edit, or move any material that it deems to be in violation of this rule.