Why do Americans have to pay much to file their tax returns when the IRS knows? • Hacker News Board

Re: Why do Americans have to pay much to file their tax returns when the IRS knows?

#21

Post by Gortal278 » Wed, Feb 09, 2022, 10:56 PM UTC

nonamenoslogan wrote: post #18

DiabloD3 wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Except you're paying $40 to a company that prevents you from having what every other modern western country has: $0, and the government did it for you. They stole your $40 every year and used it to lobby Congress.

We have a TON of this kind of catch-22 in the US. Capitalism and all; you can choose the free complicated way or the not-free easy way. You’re still free to complain about either. If I had my way, we’d do a progressive flat-tax; going as high as 75% for anyone making more than 1 million a year with NO returns or deductions whatsoever—-I’m sure you’d happily call me a socialist dunce if I proposed that though.

Flat taxes are not "progressive taxes", you don't know what you are talking about.

Re: Why do Americans have to pay much to file their tax returns when the IRS knows?

#22

Post by iggldiggl » Thu, Feb 10, 2022, 1:55 PM UTC

potamic wrote: post #12

What thoughts on doing away with income tax altogether? There is already tax on sales. No reason to have tax on source as well. Tiered tax rates based on how much you're buying or how many things you're buying can allow taxing less from the poor. The government should easily be able to structure it so that their net revenue is more or less same. Imagine the amount of overhead and inefficiencies that can be eliminated…

> Tiered tax rates based on how much you're buying or how many things you're buying can allow taxing less from the poor.

What, so now the government needs to track all my spending in order to figure out my tax rate? No, thank you.

Or like the Illinois progressive sales tax experiment of 1977? That's just plain silly¹.

¹ And admittedly not a real occurrence – look up The Pale King by David Foster Wallace.

Re: Why do Americans have to pay much to file their tax returns when the IRS knows?

#23

Post by john567 » Sat, Feb 12, 2022, 6:13 AM UTC

Gortal278 wrote: post #13

john567 wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How the fuck can there be a fee for "e-file" it should be the opposite if anything. I live in Sweden. Yeah, that country. Not only do we have a bank issued digital identity our revenue service has a online system for doing your taxes and it takes less than 10 minutes. If you buy/sell stocks using ISK and have a mortgage all of that is manage for you. You just review the numbers and sign of on it (using your digital i…

Each state has is own tax requirements, the federal government has it's own tax requirements, some cities (NYC, Detroit etc) have they own tax requirements. You have the ability to specify how much tax you wish to be with held by your employer if you are employed. You need to file taxes quarterly if you are self employed. It's complicated because the variation of tax paying. It becomes bottom up rather than top down.

Different districts in Sweden have different rates but that's it.

I was mostly upset by them asking for a fee if you do taxes digitally. That should make it easier for them.