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

Claiming high user satisfaction, IRS will decide on renewing free tax site

washingtonpost.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

101–110 of 288 posts

Re: Claiming high user satisfaction, IRS will decide on renewing free tax site

#101

Post by anon291 »

tmountain wrote: post #8

It’s amazing that 54% of adults in the United States have a literacy below 6th grade level, but it is expected for the same population to have the financial literacy to file their taxes accurately. Going further, the IRS already knows the details of most people’s taxes before they file, yet everyone is expected to complete what amounts to a complex task for many people. I cannot fathom why it is still done this way.

Following tax forms is so braindead simple, I honestly can't see how anyone can be that incapable without being mentally deficient enough to be under conservatorship. It's literally step by step "Add this" or "subtract that". If you have a calculator and a 3rd grade level understanding of English, I can't see how you'd have a problem.

Re: Claiming high user satisfaction, IRS will decide on renewing free tax site

#102

Post by loeg »

mikestew wrote: post #83
loeg wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They're probably right about that?

I’ve paid no tax and I’ve paid lots of tax. I did not care in either case how much I was paying in taxes (it is what it is). What I did care about is how much of a pain in the as it is. Mail me a goddamn postcard telling me how much I owe and be done with it. And then to find out one political party would prefer that I suffer so I’ll vote the way they want? Yeah, fuck those guys, I’m voting for the other ones.

Yeah, to be clear, I'm not saying I agree with their goals. Just that making taxes more painful to file likely increases their salience.

Re: Claiming high user satisfaction, IRS will decide on renewing free tax site

#103

Post by alistairSH »

altdataseller wrote: post #90
nilamo wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not just withholding. Cost basis info on all stock market transactions are also provided to the IRS by your brokerage...

What about expenses for those that are self employed? What about rental income? What about expenses related to rental properties? Lots of things the government doesn’t know…

None of which apply to the vast majority of filers.

Nobody is saying filing taxes should never be necessary. Only that it shouldn’t be necessary for most people.

The flow should be… Employer and financial institutions send info to IRS (they mostly do already). Then, in January, IRS sends a “Is this correct?” notice to residents. If correct, no action is needed. If not correct, then make adjustments.

Re: Claiming high user satisfaction, IRS will decide on renewing free tax site

#104

Post by [deleted] »

guntars wrote: post #20
thegrim33 wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I guess it was originally done this way because in the past people actually had some semblance of privacy and the government didn't actually know a great deal about people's income. Eventually, privacy was eroded away year after year to the point where the government now knows an extreme amount about each citizen. I guess I'd refrain the question - instead of asking why do we need to do taxes when the government know…

It was the older generations that gave up freedom and privacy for convenience, making that choice for everyone.

[deleted]

Re: Claiming high user satisfaction, IRS will decide on renewing free tax site

#105

Post by int_19h »

sbrother wrote: post #64
sveiss wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If they’re trying to follow the rules, then they can’t just fill out a 1099-MISC. A babysitter one of the examples specifically called out as a household employee in the IRS guidance[1], so if you’re doing it right you should be running payroll. That’s pretty tricky to DIY properly. [1] https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc756

I can see doing this for a nanny, but surely no one is jumping through all these hoops for ad-hoc, hourly babysitting? Any of the random highschoolers or college kids I've used would look at me like I was crazy if I tried to set them up on payroll lol.

Yes, most people don't comply with the law in this regard.

Which tells you volumes about the practicality of said law.

Re: Claiming high user satisfaction, IRS will decide on renewing free tax site

#106

Post by tadfisher »

loeg wrote: post #34
bobthepanda wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The anti tax republicans believe that if Americans had an easier time filling their taxes then they would have less objections to the same or higher level of taxation. https://www.npr.org/2013/03/26/175332655/what-would-the-u-s-...

They're probably right about that?

The vast majority of working adults have to file a W-4, receive paystubs that shw exactly how much they're withholding for state and federal taxes, and get a W-2 every year with the totals. The 1099 is just busywork that doesn't give the taxpayer any extra information. I fail to see how prefilled forms would fail to alert taxpayers to the amount of taxes they pay.

Re: Claiming high user satisfaction, IRS will decide on renewing free tax site

#107

Post by int_19h »

rufus_foreman wrote: post #66
janalsncm wrote: post #22

Listening to Congress “debate” this made me unreasonably upset. If you as a sitting politician have received monetary benefits from a tax filing service you should not be allowed to speak.

>> If you as a sitting politician have received monetary benefits from a tax filing service you should not be allowed to speak Should people who are receiving welfare benefits be allowed to vote?

Yes, because the laws that get passed apply to them.

Re: Claiming high user satisfaction, IRS will decide on renewing free tax site

#108

Post by loeg »

PopAlongKid wrote: post #23
bradley13 wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just a minor comment, but: why does EITC exist? Just a hidden welfare payment? That out if the way, I agree with the earlier comment: why does the government automatically know all your financial details? Where is the privacy? Where is the requirement for a warrant, to access your private information?

>why does EITC exist? To relieve the regressive payroll tax (FICA) on low-income families.

FICA taxes aren't regressive.

Re: Claiming high user satisfaction, IRS will decide on renewing free tax site

#109

Post by rufus_foreman »

int_19h wrote: post #107
rufus_foreman wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>> If you as a sitting politician have received monetary benefits from a tax filing service you should not be allowed to speak Should people who are receiving welfare benefits be allowed to vote?

Yes, because the laws that get passed apply to them.

But the laws that get passed apply to politicians also.

Re: Claiming high user satisfaction, IRS will decide on renewing free tax site

#110

Post by int_19h »

bradley13 wrote: post #17
monero-xmr wrote: post #11

Most Americans don’t do their own taxes. They go to H&R Block or Jackson Hewitt, and if your family makes under $60k you are almost certainly paying no income taxes and are receiving a refund via the EITC, getting a check back. So people think tax preparers are voodoo priests that do their incantations to get free money because the average person can’t understand the jargon, can’t handle forms, and the whole endeavor…

Just a minor comment, but: why does EITC exist? Just a hidden welfare payment? That out if the way, I agree with the earlier comment: why does the government automatically know all your financial details? Where is the privacy? Where is the requirement for a warrant, to access your private information?

Your income is not considered private information.

One can argue whether this is desirable, but there's basically no way to enforce income taxes if the government is not aware of how much people earn.

Post reply on HN