31–40 of 50 posts
How about this: let’s go to a single flat rate for everyone and everything (say 20%) and eliminate all deductions except for a standard deduction (say whatever is the poverty line, eg $25000 or so). This would be for corporations and individuals. Now your taxes can be filed on a postcard. And the IRS can preprint it and send it to you, with an online code or something to click “ok” on a web site and be done. The gove…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
>it is only the minority of DIY taxpayers who insist on paper filing their income tax returns This is a gross misrepresentation of the situation. Being forced to chop down and bleach trees if you don’t want to pay a bribe to a rent seeking company that lobbies directly against your interests is not “insisting on paper filing” at all.
So you are claiming that not wanting to do one thing means you are forced to do some other thing? It is a choice, nothing is "forced". More importantly, you don't have to "pay a bribe to a rent-seeking company" (talk about gross misrepresentation!), the IRS offers free online filing to everyone (and I'm not talking about the "Free file alliance" with tax software vendors, but a direct service from the IRS). https://w…
Not to dual-status individuals for example. Those individuals must mail/fax their return to IRS.
1. Acquire commercial software, or; 2. Hire a paid preparer to file it, or; 3. Use "Free File Fillable Forms" (but this isn't an option if you fall into one of the numerous special cases that it doesn't support)
So, basically, mailing in a paper return is the only free option for some people (myself included).
I genuinely don't understand why paid preparers can e-file directly with the IRS, but individuals can't. There's nothing in the linked article that says this will change, so if they go ahead and ban paper filing in a couple years, I'm not sure what options are left for people like me.
Yes, I can easily afford to shell out for software or a paid preparer if I really have to, but I'm very much against doing this on principle, since the whole tax prep industry in the US is a huge rent-seeking racket.
How about this: let’s go to a single flat rate for everyone and everything (say 20%) and eliminate all deductions except for a standard deduction (say whatever is the poverty line, eg $25000 or so). This would be for corporations and individuals. Now your taxes can be filed on a postcard. And the IRS can preprint it and send it to you, with an online code or something to click “ok” on a web site and be done. The gove…
Most recently I improved insulation at my house. I was surprised to see an IRS form that gives me tax advantages for making my home more energy efficient. How would the government now do this?
Earlier quoted context omitted.
>it is only the minority of DIY taxpayers who insist on paper filing their income tax returns This is a gross misrepresentation of the situation. Being forced to chop down and bleach trees if you don’t want to pay a bribe to a rent seeking company that lobbies directly against your interests is not “insisting on paper filing” at all.
So you are claiming that not wanting to do one thing means you are forced to do some other thing? It is a choice, nothing is "forced". More importantly, you don't have to "pay a bribe to a rent-seeking company" (talk about gross misrepresentation!), the IRS offers free online filing to everyone (and I'm not talking about the "Free file alliance" with tax software vendors, but a direct service from the IRS). https://w…
They currently don't allow individuals to e-file unless they either: 1. Acquire commercial software, or; 2. Hire a paid preparer to file it, or; 3. Use "Free File Fillable Forms" (but this isn't an option if you fall into one of the numerous special cases that it doesn't support) So, basically, mailing in a paper return is the only free option for some people (myself included). I genuinely don't understand why paid p…
They currently don't allow individuals to e-file unless they either: 1. Acquire commercial software, or; 2. Hire a paid preparer to file it, or; 3. Use "Free File Fillable Forms" (but this isn't an option if you fall into one of the numerous special cases that it doesn't support) So, basically, mailing in a paper return is the only free option for some people (myself included). I genuinely don't understand why paid p…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
[citation needed]
Hearsay from my friend who lives abroad and who was attending a Democrats abroad function and they kicked him out of the meeting after he suggested that they pass a rule that anybody who could be eligible to be elected to the board of directors should be able to pass a basic tax audit. There was support in the audience but the organizers immediately banned him. There are stories of the IRS being used as a political w…
How about this: let’s go to a single flat rate for everyone and everything (say 20%) and eliminate all deductions except for a standard deduction (say whatever is the poverty line, eg $25000 or so). This would be for corporations and individuals. Now your taxes can be filed on a postcard. And the IRS can preprint it and send it to you, with an online code or something to click “ok” on a web site and be done. The gove…
Sounds great, except a flat tax rate is extremely regressive so you either tank the amount of tax revenue the government collects, or you punish low income earners far more than wealthy individuals.
I dislike that I dont get the long term capital gains discount like on federal.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
The regressive aspect of it is offset by the large standard deduction.
That still won't solve the issue. The reason for progressive taxation is that there simply isn't a tax rate that allows you to both sufficiently fund the government and doesn't punish low income earners. The gulf between what the lowest and highest earners make is simply so vast that you can't do it without progressive taxation.