Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Would You Let the I.R.S. Prepare Your Taxes? (2015)

nytimes.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

41–50 of 438 posts

Re: Would You Let the I.R.S. Prepare Your Taxes? (2015)

#41

Post by jonnycomputer »

forgotmypw wrote: post #10

I stopped filing my taxes starting in 2011 for 2010. I had always hated the process, but in 2010 I had switched jobs several times, and had misplaced one of the stubs mailed by an employer. I have almost always worked as an employee, not a contractor or business, so I did not owe money--they probably owed me. I decided that rather than get the couple hundred bucks I would receive as my return, I will forgo the stupid…

In 2017 the minimum employment income required to file was $10,400 for an individual under 65. No laws need necessarily have been broken.

Re: Would You Let the I.R.S. Prepare Your Taxes? (2015)

#42

Post by dsfyu404ed »

Will the IRS take responsibility for the accuracy of my taxes?

I'm not going to trust some 3rd party to do my taxes unless they're responsible for the accuracy of my taxes. The federal government (government in general for that matter) does not have a particularly good track record of not holding other people accountable when it screws up.

Re: Would You Let the I.R.S. Prepare Your Taxes? (2015)

#43

Post by rb808 »

sologoub wrote: post #2

Colleagues from the EU countries who relocate to the US generally tend to have a two-fold reaction - excitement at the lower tax rates and dismay at the filing complexities. Would be amazing to have the cake and eat it too - lower taxes and a simple filing system!

Lower taxes? In France the bracket for a family for €104,120 to €279,132 is only 30%.

Sure if you live in Oaklahoma you might pay less than that but CA/NY state taxes plus property taxes, plus fewer investment tax free options, I think US taxes are now similar or higher. Ie 28% federal + 10% state + 10% property taxes equals nearly 50%. Sure sales tax is lower.

Plus - you still have to pay for your medical care, and universities and no social safety net.

Re: Would You Let the I.R.S. Prepare Your Taxes? (2015)

#44

Post by elefanten »

chatmasta wrote: post #29
ebiester wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Think of it more as "The IRS has prepared this return for you. Look at it. If it's what you expect, you have nothing else to do other than send a check if you owe or a bank account for your refund. If you have extra information (more income, deductions, etc) - then you are free to fill out your own forms. As such, 60-70% of the population would have nothing to do. People with multiple part time jobs would be fine. Th…

What happens when the IRS gets it wrong and the impoverished recipient has nobody to review it for them? (Still I suppose that may be an improvement over the status quo)

The truly impoverished recipient won't owe much in taxes to begin with.

Re: Would You Let the I.R.S. Prepare Your Taxes? (2015)

#45

Post by craftyguy »

simplecomplex wrote: post #8

They already do prepare your taxes. They just make you do the same work twice.

If they do, they are terrible at it. I get 'corrections' from the IRS about once a year to previous returns, all of which are basically them making an error and then sending me a bill. Not only do I have to waste time preparing my taxes, but I have to waste additional time disputing their BS 'corrections'.

Re: Would You Let the I.R.S. Prepare Your Taxes? (2015)

#46

Post by [deleted] »

forgotmypw wrote: post #10

I stopped filing my taxes starting in 2011 for 2010. I had always hated the process, but in 2010 I had switched jobs several times, and had misplaced one of the stubs mailed by an employer. I have almost always worked as an employee, not a contractor or business, so I did not owe money--they probably owed me. I decided that rather than get the couple hundred bucks I would receive as my return, I will forgo the stupid…

[deleted]

Re: Would You Let the I.R.S. Prepare Your Taxes? (2015)

#47

Post by theandrewbailey »

forgotmypw wrote: post #10

I stopped filing my taxes starting in 2011 for 2010. I had always hated the process, but in 2010 I had switched jobs several times, and had misplaced one of the stubs mailed by an employer. I have almost always worked as an employee, not a contractor or business, so I did not owe money--they probably owed me. I decided that rather than get the couple hundred bucks I would receive as my return, I will forgo the stupid…

> I decided that rather than get the couple hundred bucks I would receive as my return, I will forgo the stupid process altogether.

You would rather willfully evade taxes (not file) to protest the system? The hundreds of dollars in your favor doesn't cut it for you?

Re: Would You Let the I.R.S. Prepare Your Taxes? (2015)

#49

Post by jkaplowitz »

chatmasta wrote: post #29
ebiester wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Think of it more as "The IRS has prepared this return for you. Look at it. If it's what you expect, you have nothing else to do other than send a check if you owe or a bank account for your refund. If you have extra information (more income, deductions, etc) - then you are free to fill out your own forms. As such, 60-70% of the population would have nothing to do. People with multiple part time jobs would be fine. Th…

What happens when the IRS gets it wrong and the impoverished recipient has nobody to review it for them? (Still I suppose that may be an improvement over the status quo)

Definitely an improvement. It would likely be rare for the IRS to assert extra income than the taxpayer actually received, though exceptions will exist. Income actually earned but not reported would be more common.

If the IRS later notices, presumably any recipient who is impoverished and for whom there's no evidence of fraud wouldn't be charged penalties on any balance due, and might be eligible for some offer in compromise or installment plan. This is no different than now, except even less of a justification for penalty when self-reporting isn't the norm.

Post reply on HN