So, everyone hates taxes, right? Personally, I don't mind paying the Government what I owe them. As much as I dislike how things may be running right now, the Government still deserves my money for keeping me safe and keeping various things running smoothly.
That said, the current tax system needs to be junked. It's a giant waste of money that only benefits rich people who can pay people to find the loopholes that let them pay fewer taxes. And it's a pointless waste of time for those of us with such low incomes, that we don't pay taxes, and don't receive much for a refund.
I write this because I just finished filling out my taxes. It took me over an hour, and my situation is pretty darn simple. A single W-2 and a 1098-T. And it took me that long to tell the Feds that they owe me $41, and to tell Oregon that I don't owe them a cent and they don't owe me a cent. Plus I had to pay to efile it. Almost half of my Federal refund went to paying to file my state form. And to top it all off, there were a bunch of questions that I'm not sure I answered right. Heck, one way I answered them supposedly gave me $1000 extra. Now, I'm sure that was the wrong way, but still, I'm not 100% sure.
I shudder to think about what it will be like to file taxes when I finally start my own freelancing business.
So, I'm going to write my Congressmen and tell them my story, and this:
Taxes are way to complicated. The current system favors corrupt big businesses and tax preparers. Regular citizens like me are essentially punished for doing our duty and paying our taxes. Our time is wasted by hours of pouring over arcane forms, we miss deductions that could save us hundreds of dollars, and then we end up paying an expert to do it for us because we are afraid of breaking the law by accident. You need to eliminate the current system and replace it with something that everyone understands. This will save millions of dollars for our troubled economy by eliminating mistakes, loopholes, and wasted time. Those millions will then go on to generate more money for us, and more taxes for the Government.I want it simple enough that I can fill out a single page, sign it, and send it. Then the form is processed, and I either get a refund, or a bill. It should only take me 5 minutes once I've gathered my information, even if I am a business.
BTW, if you haven't filed your taxes yet, you better do it. Two more days... Oh, and TaxAct charges $18 to efile State forms, and TurboTax charges $31.