Simple poll: Taxes too complicated for individuals?

[Lithium381]

title says it all. This'll be my I think third thread on the topic over the course of the past year. . first time with a poll though! For individuals the tax code is overly complicated, it serves as a costly burden for the poor and middle class to file, and provides too many "outs" for those in the rich class. The AMT for example affects those in the 75-500k range the hardest but not the super rich. For individuals should regular income be taxed at these rates? Provide perhaps 10 possible deduction types. A single sheet of paper to fill out at the end of the year. Won't go into CG tax, but that is another matter as well.

Simplifying would generate more revenue and waste fewer dollars, both on part of the indivuduals and the IRS. .

bracket / married / single
10% $0 – $17,400 ___ $0 – $8,700
15% $17,400 – $70,700 ___ $8,700 – $35,350
25% $70,700 – $142,700 ___ $35,350 – $85,650
28% $142,700 – $217,450 ___ $85,650 – $178,650
33% $217,450 – $388,350 ___ $178,650 – $388,350
35% Over $388,350 ___ Over $388,350

It's the congress's responsibility to fix this, the IRS is limited in what they can do. If there is ANY non-partisain issue, this should be an easy one to make happen if the citizens get loud enough. Problem is the "loopholes" are put in there for the congressmens rich friends .. . .

 

[kage69]

Horrible poll, where are the choices for centrists and the non-affiliated?


Oh course it's too complex. If a US Supreme Court Justice can't do it, what hope does Johnny Sixpack have?

Good luck getting the Greedy Old Pricks to do away with loopholes though, that means you hate Americans having jobs..or something.. What's next, offshore tax havens?! FEH!

 

[nehalem256]

We should simply make all Congressmen and the President have to do their own taxes by hand.

 

[Veliko]

It is far too complicated, yes.

There are many people who benefit from it being complicated; they wouldn't be able to dodge and weave around if it was kept simple.

 

[kage69]

We should simply make all Congressmen and the President have to do their own taxes by hand.

Women, too, don't forget women.

 

[Throckmorton]

The tax preparation companies oppose efforts to make the tax code simpler

 

[nehalem256]

Women, too, don't forget women.

Congressmen is a generic term that includes both men and women.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Congressmen+?s=t

con·gress·man   [kong-gris-muhn] Show IPA
noun, plural con·gress·men. ( often initial capital letter )
a member of a congress, especially of the U.S. House of Representatives.

So why do you want to force women to have to fill out their taxes by hand? Are you a misogynist?

 

[PrinceofWands]

Poll is useless as it assumes only two parties or ideologies. Therefore I can't vote in it.

However, the tax code is moronically simple for most people. It's only when you get all sorts of bizarre situations that it gets tricky, or when you try too hard to avoid your fair burden. I don't think I've ever spent more than 30 minutes on taxes, and often less than 15. I would bet that under 50% have any sort of complicated return, probably closer to 25%.

 

[hal2kilo]

I'm sure all those people out there voting against their self interest (thinking they are going to be rich some day), think it's complicated.

But, if you just get a paycheck, own a home, have a few kids, it's really not too complicated.

It's real simple if you go online pay Turbo Tax $25 bucks and answer questions for less than an hour.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Since I can't identify with Republicans or Democrats and I don't hold to any predifined ideology I can't vote.

I will say that it's simpler with the advent of computers. For complicated situations an accountant might be needed but that won't change.

 

[jackstar7]

Another unable to vote.

And I also just use my computer and it's painless and efficient.

 

[Lithium381]

well, sorry i didn't include a nuetral option for you guys . . . flip a coin or something

 

[dank69]

not complicated for individuals

 

[ElFenix]

it's not complicated for people who are smart enough to get here and post but i do bankruptcy and i know it's too complicated for a lot of people.

 

[MovingTarget]

It is too complicated, imho. The problem is that people make the mistake of attributing the high level of complexity to the tax bracket structure when the complicated part is about what classifies as income and/or capital gains, qualifies as a deduction/credit, etc.

 

[Anarchist420]

I've never filed taxes, but it looks quite complicated. All taxes are complicated though.

the complications of the income tax are due to disagreements on what income is. Also, if the government wants the maximum amount of revenue from income tax and if they wanted the working poor to be able to live, then there will have to be exemptions and deductions now that we have the payroll tax. I mean, if I ever get a job and make enough to pay income tax, then I may just have them send me to prison.

 

[ElFenix]

It is too complicated, imho. The problem is that people make the mistake of attributing the high level of complexity to the tax bracket structure when the complicated part is about what classifies as income and/or capital gains, qualifies as a deduction/credit, etc.

yup. when there are a lot of people who have no idea that the marginal bracket doesn't apply to their whole income, there's a problem (though, frankly, that's sheer dumbassery).

 

[ShawnD1]

However, the tax code is moronically simple for most people. It's only when you get all sorts of bizarre situations that it gets tricky, or when you try too hard to avoid your fair burden. I don't think I've ever spent more than 30 minutes on taxes, and often less than 15. I would bet that under 50% have any sort of complicated return, probably closer to 25%.

Most of it is simplified with software.

enter your income from line 7 on form T5354W : ____
enter line 4565 from last year's tax return: ____
click here to enter medical receipts or leave blank to skip
how much of your 401k would you like to claim on this year's taxes: _____
click here if you were a student
click here if you have dependants
have you been overseas for most of this year: yes/no

The tax process is only slow and tedious because I actually go through all the steps. If I really wanted to keep it simple, I could skip all of the tax deductions and just choose to get ass raped on taxes. Different rape for different folks, as they say.

 

[Bitek]

How are the brackets all that complicated? You make X salary, add a few dicudtions if any,=> pay this rate.


What becomes complicated is determining what qualifies as "income." This is where all the games are played, and will not be changed at all with all the tax gimmicks the GOP offers when it complains some easy math is too complicated.
For most have income people, these games don't even effect them.

 

[cybrsage]

1040EZ is quite easy.

 

[ShawnD1]

What becomes complicated is determining what qualifies as "income."

Can you give an example?

 

[PrinceofWands]

Out of curiosity, anyone have some data on tax filing...things like percentage of filers using EZ or A or whatever, percentage itemizing, etc?

 

[ShawnD1]

http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=218319,00.html

Jan. 15, 2010

WASHINGTON — IRS e-file, the popular electronic tax return delivery service used by two-thirds of the nation’s taxpayers, opens for business January 15 and marks 20 years of safely and securely transmitting nearly 800 million individual federal tax returns.

The Internal Revenue Service debuted e-file nationally in 1990, delivering 4.2 million tax returns. Last year, IRS e-file delivered 95 million tax returns, 66 percent of all returns filed.

 

[QuantumPion]

Anyone who thinks taxes aren't complicated either a) doesn't pay taxes or b) pays someone else to do their tax return and is unaware that their tax returns are wrong.

Basically - no matter how you fill out your taxes, you are wrong. Even if you call the IRS with a tax question, you can ask 5 different people, get 5 different answers, and they are all wrong. The only thing keeping you out of jail is a) the random chance of not getting audited and b) how much your particular IRS auditor thinks you are wrong by and how you go about paying their ransom money.

 

[cybrsage]

Or you can just use your W2s and fill out the 1040A or EZ using them and you will not be wrong. You only go to jail or have to pay extra if you try to get creative.