H and R Block and the IRS: An Unholy Alliance to Ransack Taxpayers
by Dan MitchellThe late George Stigler, winner of the Nobel Prize in economics, is famous in part because of his work on “regulatory capture,” which occurs when interest groups use the coercive power of government to thwart competition and undeservedly line their own pockets.
A perfect (and distasteful) example of this can be found in today’s Washington Post, which reports that the IRS plans to impose new regulations dictating who can prepare tax returns. Not surprisingly, the new rules have the support of big tax preparation shops such as H&R Block and Jackson Hewitt, which see this as an opportunity to squeeze smaller competitors out of the market.
The IRS and the big firms claim more regulations are needed to protect consumers from shoddy work, but this is the usual rationale for licensing laws and other government-imposed barriers to entry and the Institute for Justice repeatedly has shown such rules are designed to benefit insiders rather than consumers.
Tax preparers do make many mistakes, to be sure, but that is a reflection of a nightmarish tax code, and the annual tax test conducted by Money magazine showed that even the most-skilled professionals – such as CPAs, tax lawyers, and enrolled agents – were unable to figure out how to correctly fill out a hypothetical family’s tax return. But since the IRS routinely makes major mistakes as well, perhaps the moral of the story is that we need fundamental tax reform, not IRS rules to create a cartel for the benefit of H&R Block and other big firms. Would any of this be an issue if we had a flat tax or national sales tax?
The Internal Revenue Service plans to test, register and screen people who get paid to prepare tax returns, stepping into a virtually unregulated business on which millions of Americans depend for crucial financial services. …the moves could increase the cost of having tax returns prepared. …Starting with the 2011 tax season, the IRS plans to require paid preparers to register with the agency. …The new testing and education standards will exempt certified public accountants, lawyers, and tax practitioners known as “enrolled agents,” who are cleared to represent taxpayers in dealing with the IRS… Tax prep giants H&R Block and Jackson Hewitt expressed support for the requirements announced Monday. Under the new rules, H&R Block “won’t be competing against people who aren’t regulated and don’t have the same standards as we do,” said Kathryn Fulton, senior vice president for government relations. …Citing a gap in the agency’s plan, Fulton said the IRS should impose the same rules on unpaid preparers of tax returns. …In field tests, the IRS noted Monday, tax-return preparers often gave bad advice. In a 2006 study in which employees of the Government Accountability Office posed as taxpayers and visited outlets of tax prep chains, all 19 preparers made mistakes, the IRS reported. …It is unclear how much of the blame rests with the tax code’s confusing nature, a perennial target of politicians’ criticism. Do regulated professionals such as CPAs perform better than their unregulated counterparts? The IRS commissioner said the agency does not have the data to answer that question.
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109 Comments
Next it will be illegal for you to do your own taxes.
My vote is for changing the tax code from something a zillion pages long to something a small child could pick up with one hand.
I once took my taxes to H&R Block. I paid a bunch of money and they next year I had to file for a correction on a mistake they made. I've been doing my own taxes since.
Why don't we follow the example of the lead IRS guru, Tim Geitner….don't pay your taxes!! Maybe that will open the door to being named as a CZAR in Barry's administration. Oh, the horror.
Agreed. As with most government regulation, their premise is flawed. They see complications and errors not as a result of the increasingly complicated geometry of the structure of government, but by the those who attempt to use the structure. This results in a positive feedback of more and more regulation to increasingly strangle the individual into a preceived dependence on "The Government Way". Tax returns for 90% of the population are not that hard, especially today–even without the internet… They should just do it themselves.
But, yes, the flat/fair tax would be so much less complicated; however, think of all those poor IRS workers whose only job skill is a vague ability to navigate the tax code–they would be out of a job…
http://www.IsThisTheChangeWeNeed.com
Fair Tax! The only real solution, check it out!
To be honest, what I'd love to see for the Tea Parties is an organized tax protest with results. Say… don't pay federal income tax. If enough people did that…….
That would of course be a last resort. If things don't improve in the next election cycle…
Give me some of that good old flat tax. The hundreds of thousands of bureaucrats currently employed by the IRS can get busy trying to find jobs in the private sector. Who knows H&R block may be hiring?
The US Tax Code is over 67,000 pages long. How could anyone NOT make a mistake some of the time. We have a totally absurb tax system thanks to Congress passing out favors like candy. We need to take back control of our Country from the parasites. Of course their answer is to enact more rules, add more pages, and pass out more sweets.
corruption at it's best.. United States of Corruption… Big business wins another round.. I am so surprised.
The tax code too complicated? Ask Timothy Geitner
I wonder what would happen if the GAO posed as tax payers and had everyone in the I.R(eally).S(uck) prepare the same returns in the 2006 study. How many errors would be made by the people that are supposed to check returns. Oh yeah I forgot, not even the head of the department, nor some congresspeople, nor Obama appointees, can do their own taxes.
http://21stcenturyteaparty.wordpress.com/2009/11/...
As a tax professional, I have no problem, per se, with some sort of licensing, but under the auspices of the Internal Revenue Service. This would be akin to having the local County Prosecutor decide and regulate who is allowed to practice criminal law in their communities. Most like professions have regulatory boards made up of experienced professionals who set the standards of practice. This is done to protect the public. If the government is allowed to intimidate those in public advocacy positions, no one of us is safe from them.
Marvin Olasky, writer for World Mag. and Town Hall has made this same point. Working for DuPont he saw this corporation actually fighting for more regulations, not against them, presumably to crush smaller competitors. The same seems to be true here.
As an enrolled agent and owner of a small tax service, I suppose I would stand to benefit from this legislation, but this trend is a dangerous trend. We can't allow lobbyists for H&R Block to tell us what is best for us, especially when it stands to greatly profit them. Besides I've filed amended returns for quite a lot of former Block clients who've had their returns superbly bungled by inexperienced Block preparers a few weeks removed from a 13 week tax class. Of all people, they should be among the least qualified to push for more government involvement.
As Reagan said to heed those dangerous words, "I'm from the government, and I'm here to help."
First of all, I am a CPA. I prepare a large number of tax returns each year from simple to complex. I am a huge supporter of either a flat tax or a national sales tax to replace the current tax system for many reasons.
But as relates to this article –
The IRS is talking about regulating non-licensed professionals. Attorneys, CPA's and Enrolled Agents are exempt. The above referenced professionals will be required to fulfill certain continuing education requirements – which most already have as a requirement of licensing.
The IRS is targeting people they consider unqualified to prepare tax returns. And I believe there should be a minimum competency to prepare tax returns.
How many ridiculous things does this administration think they can force on us before we snap?
As a self-employed tax preparer, I can say that I agree that the tax code needs to be thrown out and re-written from scratch. I always review past returns for my new clients and in 70% of the cases I find errors. Note that some mistakes include not taking all of the available tax breaks allowed. Also note that not all CPA's are trained in preparing tax returns, yet people trust them to complete their taxes without any questions–and at outrageous prices. Most CPA firms have their staff complete the tax returns and the CPA just "reviews" it and signs it. The CPA is not the one pouring over your receipts and tax documents.
TurboTax users can purchase a service where their return is reviewed by a professional tax preparer. I worked for the company that reviews those returns for a few tax seasons and I reviewed nearly a thousand returns. Probably 75% of the returns contained errors–some in the tax payer's favor and some in the IRS' favor. I have no way of knowing how many of those people missed other deductions that they could have claimed.
The tax code needs to be completely revamped and simplified–even if it means that I'm out of a job. Congress has made things even worse over the last couple of years and I encourage all of you to do more than blindly trust your tax preparer when doing your 2009 taxes.
It is just a shame that anytime I hear the word government I just get sick. I after over sixty years on the planet am getting sick and tired of those who make up the government.
Getting to be time for a revolt of some sort. We need to take over where nature just can't cope.
Question #1:
If you work overseas and your employer pays you the foreign tax due to the United States and fail to pay your taxes, what are the consequences:
A – Amount due plus penalties and interest
B – Amount due and the IRS will forego the penalties and interest
C – Secretary of the Treasury
Question #2:
If you work for the government and you fail to pay your taxes, what are the consequences:
A – Amount due with no penalties and interest
B – Three percent salary increase
C – Going on TV and demanding higher taxes from the public
Question #3:
If you have a rental property with tenants in an outside country, how do you handle this:
A – Fill out Schedule D, showing income and expenses
B – Hide the assets, with the potentially becoming a Senator from Michigan
C – Call this your full time residence and not pay US income taxes
The problem is that not every person in the H & R Block office would need to be licensed, just the person signing the return as the "preparer." As I stated in another post, the same thing applies to many CPA and law firms. In addition to preparing my own clients' returns, I worked for a firm that employed both lawyers and CPAs and I prepared 95% of the firm's business and personal tax returns. The CPA in the firm simply "reviewed" my work and signed the returns.
I have a guess as to why some tax prep corps and software makers might want a bigger piece of the pie. Last year I did my fairly complicated tax return online on the IRS site and filed it for free when I was done. No need for Turbo Tax, I was right where I needed to be to look up rules and get forms and attach them. Has to be hurting the retail software cos. and tax prep box stores.
See, taxes aren't so hard!
Nearly all politicians are lawyers and the pass laws as a measure of how productive they are and this enriches the lawyers because no one understand the law – not even lawyers. This is an unjust system. Time for Barter town with simple rules.
"even the most-skilled professionals – such as CPAs, tax lawyers, and enrolled agents – were unable to figure out how to correctly fill out a hypothetical family’s tax return"
Nor can the Secretary of the Treasury himself!
Hey I have another idea let's stop paying our taxes until they actually are responsible to us for how they misspend the money.
We are going to be regulated to death.
Hopefully after they finish with this fabulous health care bill. the congress can take up the issue of tax reform. After a few months of backroom meetings at midnight and some multi billion dollar pork, they should be able to come up with 10 or 12,000 pages of reform that will leave even the IRS scratching their heads.
On a side note: How can the citizenry be held criminally liable for adhering to a tax code that even the top experts can barely keep up with?
The answer is always "C". Although "B" for #3 is a pretty good one as well.
The IRS almost as crooked as Obamma!
I am also a tax preparer and I also feel there should be some test for competency. I also have amended several H&R Block, Jackson-Hewitt, and Liberty Tax service returns. I think the problem with Turbo tax is that they use definitions that the average individual doesn't understand the meaning. I also think this push by H&R Block is to get people to focus on other headlines. They are currently under review for their fee structure in their instant IRA business.
I think there is a lot of wisdom by the CPAs in not allowing their members to benefit from referring their clients to financial businesses they have an interest in. H&R Block is also involved in mortgages and IRAs, so they have a vested interest in referring their tax clients to their other non-tax services and the consumer pays extra fees. H&R Block's IRA business charged more in annual fees than people earned.
Yes… The FairTax would be fantastic. I'd take the Flat Tax too, but I'd prefer the FairTax. While were at it, lets get rid of all property taxes.
"Law Enforcement" enables this swill. I thank God every time he removes another one of them from office.
1.You have no rights when it comes to health care. Pay or go to prison
2.You have no rights on religion.
3.You have no rights on what to eat, you will be told what to eat or no health care.
4.You life style will be regulated and you will not be given health care if you violate these rules.
5.Only govt approved companies can do your taxes.
6.Americans cannot do their own taxes, or get fined or go to jail.
7.Obama and the dems=this is what other Americans voted for…socialism and the nanny state. Hope they got what they voted for.
Big brother and 666.
The tax prep bottom end are the H& R blocks of the world. If they sign your return as a preparer, you have higher ods of a tax audit. After later filing a corrected return and paying again, you would have been better off using a pro instead of a drive up window tax shop.
Geithner and many of Pinheads administration didn't pay their taxes. Members of Congress, democrats, avoided paying taxes. Thousands of federal employees refuse to pay their taxes. 1/3 of the Postal system don't pay their taxes.
Something is radically wrong!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
As a professional in the business (CPA/Lawyer), it is not the fault of the IRS, they are merely a collection agency for the Congress. Really not fair to call teh IRS crooked.
The answer is insurrection.Tea parties everywhere and muskets when necessary.
Even if you use the high end guys, you sign a release absolving them of any mistakes in your return. If they screw up. YOU pay.
Yes, yes, yes. The answer is insurrection.Tea parties everywhere and muskets when necessary.
[...] [...]
Exactly! It is such a farce! Everyone pays their 10%. No poverty line, etc…If you are going to institute a tax, then it applies everyone. We can only dream about this one…
Well, with less than 50% of Americans actually paying taxes these days, these small, mom and pop preparers probably ought to look for green jobs.
A Flat TAX would eliminate the deadbeats. No complex red tape to go through. A simple 10% calculation is all it takes on you income (stocks, bonds, salaries, etc…). I don't understand why there is resistance to this. The government would be raking it in with very little fraud if any.
Exactly! There should be a flat tax that applied to EVERYONE! If you make $1200 this year, you pay $120. It is that simple. Fraud is reduced to nothing and the government takes in more money.
Do Not Pay Your Taxes. Very simple. I know a person who never paid taxes for over 15 years and he never ever got even a note. Infact he got a huge refund after all those years with no penalty when he did file!!!!!
If we don't pay our our taxes the Obongo administration will choke.
I noticed that for some reasons their commercials seemed to cater to Blacks.
I have used software to do the taxes since the late 80’s. I think people who are paid to help do your taxes ought to at least pass a test on tax preparation. Call that regulating tax preparers? Fine.
Have you read the FairTax Book? You only pay taxes on MONEY YOU SPEND and there are absolutely NO GOVERMNENT TAXES OF ANY KIND! There is a great web site and you can get answers to questions.
The two main features of the tax code:
1) A way for politicians to solicit bribes.
2) A way to make EVERY American citizen a potential criminal.
Reduce the rates, simplify the code for personal and corporate alike. Most of the people who make a living off the tax code are smart enough to redirect their talent to some other money making enterprise.
Why is it any of your business how tax returns are done if they aren't your clients? Seems to me the more mistakes made the earlier we get relief.
That would then mean about 99% of all americans are not competent to prepare their own return. Which we are told every April 15th to do.
National Retail Sales Tax and my tax return goes to two pages not 20.
Ya gotta be kiddin me. The IRS is going to improve the accuracy of tax returns filed. On what planet? Half of working citizens do not pay federal taxes. Please, fire the Cabinet, and their boss, close the White House, lock the Capitol doors and turn out the lights. Call it a Green action, declare victory over Climate change.
Yes, long past time to boycott taxes…why? Well, they in government are boycotting the Constitution and ignoring Americans…so they don't deserve to steal anymore of our money!
Part 1
I challenge U 2 think outside the box for a moment. What if the federal gov. no-longer taxed individual citizens directly, but taxed individual states based on the number of congressmen it sends 2 the House of Representatives (HR) in Washington, D.C. For example, TN sends 9 congressmen 2 the HR that’s 2.07% of the 435 seats in the HR. Therefore, TN would be responsible for 2.07% of the Federal budget 4 that year. TN would collect that 2.07% directly from its citizens by a method that is supported by those citizens. By now U are wondering how’s that any different, and here is my “Cliff Note” reply.
Part 2
Simply, we R cutting out the middle man (Federal Gov.). Why must we send money 2 the Federal Gov. and have them turn around and send it right back 2 our states in the form of pork spending, bribes, last minute deals, etc. States R capably of collecting needed revenue directly from its citizens without federal interference. Eliminating federal bribes 2 individual states would help reduce the number of corrupt congressmen and encourage them 2 be more responsible, once they C the monetary effect each bill has on their state. States would have 2 become accountable for their actions and stop relying on other states. Sovereignty of individual states would be renewed and shifting power back 2 the states (as the Constitution dictated) allowing states the freedom 2 collect taxes in a manner that citizens in that state agree 2. This will solve many of the issues that plague our nation today.
This is another fine example of the govt. muck and quagmire we are being subjected to.
FAIRTAX………..FAIRTAX.ORG
There are many many corrupt preparers who set up shop on Jan 15 –have absolutely no knowledge of the tax law–and prepare unbeliveable and very creative tax returns for uneducated and gullible people. They charge the poor people huge sums of money based on the large bogus refunds they get for those taxpayers. When IRS sends a bill to the taxpayer for the bogus deductions, the taxpayer goes to the preparer to find out what is wrong with their return. However, what they find is that the preparer closed shop on April 15 and is nowhere to be found.
If we don't have regulation, how should IRS protect these innocent gullible people from the crooks who say they are preparers?
If your going to H/R Block , you might as well just let the IRS do your taxes. I took my paperwork to them in the 06 tax year and a nice young lady informed the IRS by phone to check my prior years tax forms for mistakes in SS withholding. When I showed up to discuss the results she showed me the mistake, then informed me that she had called the IRS to get a figure for the penalty……it cost me $7,000.
EXACTAMUNDO!
I worked a couple tax seasons for the green giant and I wouldn't let half their preparers touch a simple return. Training was OK, but the business was not of tax preparation, it was an exploitation of the Earned Income Tax Credit/Childcare Tax Credit/Additional Child Tax Credit to provide the equivalent of a payday loan. People who were eligible for a refund in excess of what they earned didn't care what it cost, as it's not their money, they pay no taxes and if they have kids get a few thousand dollars back….paying a couple hundred in preparation fees and a couple hundred to get a "loan right away" didn't matter to them. This mindset is why I quit working for them as it was a payday loan racket that did taxes. If the IRS regulates preparers don't exempt the non-profits as some have even less training (but this may be by design so that the gov't can give more grants to groups like ACORN that work with low income tax services). Overhaul and simplify the tax code so that individuals can understand it, if you need a tax preparer the gov't is too big.
[...] more here: » H and R Block and the IRS: An Unholy Alliance to Ransack … By admin | category: call block | tags: every-person, full-time, not-pay, person, [...]
The tax system is a game. The IRS is the house. You lose.
I wonder, if we looked into campaign contributions, would we find that these big tax preparers had contributed a lot to Obama?
The author is correct, we need a flat tax or a sales tax, which will eliminate the IRS, saving We The People the money spent on the IRS and saving money by not allowing anyone to cheat on their taxes.
I did the same thing in 2002. Made the old lady at H&R cry. She deserved it. All they did was punch the numbers into their computer. Did nothing to WORK on getting a bigger refund like they advertise.
I blame George W Bush. Doing so doesn't accomplish anything, but that doesn't stop the freaks running the White House, so why not?
The point being that those incompetent preparers from H & R Block would be subject to the same regulations as anyone else. If, in fact, they are incompetent they would be weeded out.
Please explain just how one would determine that someone is qualified or unqualified to prepare taxes? I'm sure this would require oversight by Big Brother.
Another example of how the Democrates pretend to be for the little guy and cut back room deals with big business.
Our elected officals (republicans & democrates) are out of control.
Take control, don't vote for incumbents.
About "regulating non-licensed professionals:" Why? The taxpayer (or client) who uses a "non-licensed" tax preparer, whether "professional" or moonlighting from a shoe-shine-stand day job, is or should be aware both, that responsibility for accuracy of his/her return is squarely in his/her court, and that "caveat emptor" applies.
Unless the IRS rep I talked to is mistaken (not a completely unusual event), an "authorized" tax pro signs off on the return and is expected to stand behind any errors and argue the point(s) at any IRS audit on behalf of the client. If a "non-authorized" person prepared the return, only the taxpayer signs the return and, in the event of an audit, is on his/her own.
IRS will always be correct. However I would give it some time because they are backed up with a lot of returns. Give the IRS about 4 weeks to update your status. If by then you have not seen any changes, you need to call H & R Block to have them resolve the problem. H & R Block has a guarantee to file your returns correctly. They can be held responsible for mistakes in filing, just keep records for your own protection.
Online Tax Refunds
IRS will always be correct. However I would give it some time because they are backed up with a lot of returns. Give the IRS about 4 weeks to update your status. If by then you have not seen any changes, you need to call H & R Block to have them resolve the problem. H & R Block has a guarantee to file your returns correctly. They can be held responsible for mistakes in filing, just keep records for your own protection.
Online Tax Refunds
IRS will always be correct. However I would give it some time because they are backed up with a lot of returns. Give the IRS about 4 weeks to update your status. If by then you have not seen any changes, you need to call H & R Block to have them resolve the problem. H & R Block has a guarantee to file your returns correctly. They can be held responsible for mistakes in filing, just keep records for your own protection.
Online Tax Refunds
Will you have to score 100% on the test? Even if the requirement (like most exams like the bar and CPA) is 70%, do you really think this will decrease the number of errors? Another government intrusion that won't do anything.
Actually, no. The answer is insurrection.Tea parties everywhere and muskets when necessary.
The flip side of that coin is, my husband and I owed the $250.00 (that was really hard for us to come up with!) and they hounded us for over a year, and kept adding penalties until it was over $500….we are now living just above the real 'poverty line' …we get our bills paid, but there's not much left!
WE DO NOT NEED any more government interference in our lives! Why do we need MORE laws, when they don't enforce the ones we have now?? Just because someone is 'poor' does not mean they are stupid…they should have enough sense to be responsible for their own tax return…they should be held accountable for the tax preparer the choose…
[...] here: » H and R Block and the IRS: An Unholy Alliance to Ransack … tags: agency, agent, collect-taxes, federal, government, property, returns, the-assets | [...]
I teach high school economics and my students do a 5 year budget set 5 years in their future, this means they do 5 tax returns. I have them do one itemized tax form and then four 1040As. I tell them that they should then be able to their own taxes, invariably someone says "I'll just get H & R Block to do my taxes." I ask them why they want to pay someone to do something they are capable of doing. One year a student said something to the effect "If the real tax forms are like this, it shouldn't be too hard." I said this is the "real form", to which they replied, "then what's the big deal, this is easy."
[...] post: » H and R Block and the IRS: An Unholy Alliance to Ransack … tags: 19th-century, boss, cabinet, capitol, climate, declare-victory, green, jackson, [...]
Randyl2
If you put all the laws Congress passed for the ?Good of the People? and put them on a Jumbo Jet, bet it couldn't lift off the ground.
Have you forgotten that the graduated income tax, is one of the Planks in the Humanist Manifesto? The actual goal of socialism is simply to be a stepping stone to full blown Communism….Now we have a Socialist Presidency and all of his buddies as Czars and other important positions. Keep praying them out of Office with Psalms Ch 91 and Ch 109.
I want the same tax preparer as Charlie Rangel and the rest of those thieves. They seem to come out pretty good not paying taxes and no penaltes! How DOES that work?
Pastor Kent Hovind (Dr Dino) is in a FL Jail for non-payment of taxes….But I too, have heard that if you don't file you won't be bothered by them. The Original Amendment which created the Graduated Income Tax wasn't properly ratified at first. It went into operation anyway. Later, the problem got fixed. The graduated income tax is one the "back bones" of the Marxist-Socialists. The Private Fed Reserve Bank and the graduated income tax are working together to re-distribute our wealth and assets and future….Poor people are easier to govern!
I need to study our history more….My question is what kind of taxing systems did we have prior to our graduated income tax system? Did the Coloniasts prior to 1776 pay taxes? I think that they had Lotteries to raise funds for Community projects.
Very interesting viewpoint, J. Clark. My State of WI is "in the red" right now, almost like the state of CA.
I think the very best System is written about in the Bk of Leviticus….Rules for land, money, taxes, banking and basic services….Jesus, of the NT was very critical of them as they were abusing the system for their own personal gain….of course they were under Roman Rulership at the time so that put a huge slant on their behavior. Being a tradesman worker, I liked the OT System, as workers did not pay taxes (tithes).
The House is the Marxist Political Game.
Also the genral public/workers said that this tax would primarily Tax the Rich, as they would have to pay more. This was the start of Re-Distribute the Wealth Campaign….
Congress could spend the next 40 yrs repealing all their unconstitutional laws and shrinking government back to its original intention without passing any new laws. That could occupy all their time if their worried about something to do. Plus, we should go back to days of old when they had to spend their own money to serve the public – then only true men/women of honor might serve.
I am in favor of the flat tax. The politicians and taxpreparors like H & R Block are against it because of money and power. Don't forget the Obama Administration is beefing up the IRS and will be coming after us. The irony of this is TAX CHEAT Tim Geithner is in charge of the IRS. They have also change the withholding tables. It is about Power, Control and Money. This healthcare bill will have increases in taxes. Then there is Cap and Tax which will cost us even more. They are destroying the middle class and enslaving us.
No, but if you put them in a pile and lit it on fire we might actually have man caused global warming.
A flat tax is a nonstarter. Where are you going to get a majority to support lowering rich people's taxes and raising poor people's. Not to mention income verification would still be required. Retail businesses already have software for sales tax collection. There's no need for individual forms, deadlines or audits.The answer is so obvious it is a crying shame our corrupt officials won't do it.
I can think of NO reason why ANY US Tax Code should be more than 10 pages ….67,000 pages??? And I would bet you not ONE person in Congress has a clue as to what those pages say!!
I agree! If Timmay Geithner did not have to pay, along with all the other non-taxpaying President-elect officials, why do we?
Put our taxes in an escrow account so we can at least say we have them set aside. Otherwise we'll all end up in the gulag.
IRS would still need a handful of people to process the taxes received. … it would be SOO MUCH BETTER!
You indicate that the average person will not be able to do their own tax papers. I can represent myself in a court of law, but not in the world of taxes? Rediculous.
Maybe we need the same minimum competency to work on our own cars (change oil & filter for example), or maybe we need a minimum competency to have babies… (sarc)
This is just another power grab by our Big Gov, a reward to Big Corps and a prelude to unionization…
Best solution… Fair Tax… better yet, NO TAX.
"How can the citizenry be held criminally liable for adhering to a tax code that even the top experts can barely keep up with? "
That's the trap they set for you. They get to collect more fines that way.
"Thousands of federal employees refuse to pay their taxes. 1/3 of the Postal system don't pay their taxes."
How do you figure this? Where's the proof?
2) A way to make EVERY American citizen a potential criminal.
… and then they'll have an excuse to take away your 2nd Ammendment too…. Bastards!
They should do a little research before choosing a preparer that suddenly materializes one day. We are responsible for making our own decisions. We do NOT need our gov making these decisions for us!
Hmmm, give the politicians an inch and look where it takes you. The original tax code was one page long. Was intended to help pay off war debt. It's grown from that one page to an amendment to the constitution to a 64,000 page nightmare. It gives the politicians a weapon to punish those who are on their "hate list". By allowing individual taxation we've allowed our political system to become corrupt. The best cure for the cancer is to get rid of the root cause, and that's the constitutional amendment that allows for individual taxes. Pull the blood supply and the cancer dies. Shrink the government back down to what our founders had envisioned it as, and people just need to learn to become self sufficient and quit living on Uncle Sam's plantation and the backs of everyone else.
Prior to the income tax Congress raised monies through a system of tariffs on imported goods.
The flat tax that Rep John Linder, Ga. has proposed has a system of rebates for those at or below the poverty line. In essence the poor among us would not be subject to a flat tax. I am a tax preparer, unregulated, that has a masters degree in tax and accounting. I have seen as many poorly prepared returns by CPA's as I have from our local H&R. The real issue are those non signing preparers who falsify documentation to get their client an EIC (earned income credit) refund. No amount of registration or testing will ever get rid of these piranhas. The tax fraud in EIC is enormous and the IRS refuses to pursue.
[...] their preparers will come under much more scrutiny as well as all tax preparers. Check out here and here. The moves are expected to increase the costs of getting tax returns [...]
[...] H & R Block and the IRS: Alliance Will Ransack Taxpayers (BigGov) [...]
No one at H&R Block can prepare a tax return if they are not a tax preparer. Have you ever been to H&R Block? They prepare the return while you are sitting at the desk with the preparer unless you choose to drop your stuff off. The preparers name is on the business card, the return and others in the office are talking to them by name. Theres no doubt who prepared the return. Plus they sign it in front of me.
You know, It should be a privelege to serve as a representative for the people…half of these officials are already Millionaires – why would they need their salaries as a Congressman/woman…. we need a referendum!!!
"Would any of this be an issue if we had a flat tax or national sales tax?"
This ain't happening any time soon….
The primary function, today at least, of the Internal Revenue Code is to push policy. Politicians lower/raise taxes give/take away government programs to get re-elected in November……
This is NOT about what's right, what's fair, or what's decent. It's about getting re-elected, and since those that are in power are the only ones that can change this behemoth, it won't get changed. Period.
Espresso Maker…
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Coffeemakers…
[...]Listed below are links from authority sites that have been utilized as a source to this article [...]…