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

When the IRS 'likes' your Facebook update

marketplace.org

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

11–20 of 57 posts

Re: When the IRS 'likes' your Facebook update

#11

Post by cheetahtech »

I am for over complicating the tax code. Let me tell you why.

If we over complicate the tax code as well as complicate doing your taxes, maybe folks will finally get more upset with it.

The more folks get upset, maybe the more outspokeness to change it. The IRS is a huge problem and the loop holes are even a greater problem.

I am all for flat or fair tax at 9-13%. First you might say no, but with a flat tax, you no longer have to worry about filing taxes, but maybe a small slip of paper. Secondly, how much time is spent preparing and filing? Time could be drastically put back into the citizens rather than being taken away with another government task.

Re: When the IRS 'likes' your Facebook update

#12

Post by [deleted] »

matthewmacleod wrote: post #10
squidfood wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hmm, this sounds like the old "you shouldn't mind surveillance if you've got nothing to hide" argument.

Except it's not. This is the "you don't get to complain if you brag about your tax evasion in public and then go to jail" argument.

[deleted]

Re: When the IRS 'likes' your Facebook update

#13

Post by thenewbtg »

plusbryan wrote: post #2

All that effort to avoid simplifying the tax code so that the tax preparation industry can thrive.

That's wholly untrue. Yes, the tax preparation industry has made token donations to efforts to preserve the current tax code.

But I would argue that the failure of tax reform is not so simple. Major tax reform is a massive, massive legislative undertaking. And doing so redefines many of the basic American incentives. Having your say in tax reform is the equivalent of leaving your mark on the next 20-30 years of American society.

Suffice to say, the massive polarization of our Legislature, combined with the hyper-efficacy of Senate obstruction, and finished off with the fact that tax reform is hard to campaign on means that there is no real incentive for our legislators to reform. But sure, a token campaign contribution making up a miniscule fraction of total donations doesn't hurt...

Re: When the IRS 'likes' your Facebook update

#14

Post by Ricapar »

I find the "well then just pay your taxes" answers to be on the same level of "well if you have nothing to hide...".

You can be a honest and tax-paying citizen of society and still get audited. There's always the chance that there may be a mistake somewhere. The US tax code is not simple. Even if you shell out $20-$80 a year to do it via TurboTax, H&R Block, whatever, there's always room for a mistake.

And even if there are no mistakes, simply being told you are being audited would make most people's heart skip a beat.

The article didn't quite cover what approach the IRS is using.. Whether they are taking already flagged people and getting more info via social network profiles, or if they are using social network profiles and using that as a deciding factor on if one should be audited or not.

The former I don't have much of an opinion on. The latter I don't like the sound of one bit.

Re: When the IRS 'likes' your Facebook update

#15

Post by oldstrangers »

matthewmacleod wrote: post #10
squidfood wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hmm, this sounds like the old "you shouldn't mind surveillance if you've got nothing to hide" argument.

Except it's not. This is the "you don't get to complain if you brag about your tax evasion in public and then go to jail" argument.

Except it's exactly the same.

Re: When the IRS 'likes' your Facebook update

#16

Post by reverius42 »

squidfood wrote: post #7
matthewmacleod wrote: post #5

"If Nike is analyzing my information, the worst consequence is that they market stuff to me that I don’t want and it’s annoying," says Dayanim. "If the government does it, the worst consequence is there could be legal ramifications, whether it’s fines, penalties or imprisonment." Maybe don't evade your goddamned taxes then. Seriously, people who not only evade tax, but follow it up by flaunting that fact in public, d…

Hmm, this sounds like the old "you shouldn't mind surveillance if you've got nothing to hide" argument.

No, this is: "if you have something to hide you should take care to hide it."

Re: When the IRS 'likes' your Facebook update

#17

Post by TallGuyShort »

matthewmacleod wrote: post #10
squidfood wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hmm, this sounds like the old "you shouldn't mind surveillance if you've got nothing to hide" argument.

Except it's not. This is the "you don't get to complain if you brag about your tax evasion in public and then go to jail" argument.

Except that I don't evade taxes, and I don't want the IRS using my online presence to profile me and decide if I fit the profile of a tax evader.

Re: When the IRS 'likes' your Facebook update

#18

Post by DrJokepu »

I deal with 3 tax agencies every year. I submit my personal and my business's tax returns to the British HMRC as that's where I live. I deal with my home country's (Hungary) tax agency too for various, boring reasons. And, ultimately, as I tend to do my wife's tax returns as well and she's a citizen of the United States I file taxes with the IRS.

I don't know how else I could put this: the US tax system is absolutely insane. It's several orders of magnitude more complicated than any other I'm familiar with. It's simply ridiculous. It's really, really bad.

Re: When the IRS 'likes' your Facebook update

#19

Post by yeukhon »

Ricapar wrote: post #14

I find the "well then just pay your taxes" answers to be on the same level of "well if you have nothing to hide...". You can be a honest and tax-paying citizen of society and still get audited. There's always the chance that there may be a mistake somewhere. The US tax code is not simple. Even if you shell out $20-$80 a year to do it via TurboTax, H&R Block, whatever, there's always room for a mistake. And even if th…

They always audit your tax, no matter what. I just got audited and boom they wanted $63 more. Whatever you paid this year, a few years later they will review again...

Re: When the IRS 'likes' your Facebook update

#20

Post by yukichan »

plusbryan wrote: post #2

All that effort to avoid simplifying the tax code so that the tax preparation industry can thrive.

I wonder if tax credits on mortgage payment interests is a contributing blocker to tax reform. If they got rid of it, buying and owning a house would be so much more expensive. It would make renting more worth it.
Post reply on HN