[socialismisinsidious]

From an interesting article from the Heritage foundation 2005 on government bureaucracy waste:
http://www.heritage.org/Research/Budget/bg1840.cfm

9. Earned Income Tax Credit Overpayments The earned income tax credit (EITC) provides $31 billion in refundable tax credits to 19 million low-income families. The IRS estimates that $8.5 billion to $9.9 billion of this amount—nearly one-third—is wasted in overpayments.



An earlier (1994--one can assume that things have only gotten worse) article from the CATO Institute: Why You Can't Trust the IRS
http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa222.html
# The IRS telephone taxpayer assistance program provides about 8.5 million Americans the wrong answers to even the most basic inquiries about the tax laws.
# This year roughly 10 million Americans will receive correction notices from the IRS assessing about $4 billion. About half of those notices will be erroneous.
# About 40 percent of the revenues the IRS collects through penalty assessments are abated when citizens challenge the penalties. In 1993 taxpayers were over- charged $5 billion.
# A General Accounting Office audit of the IRS in 1993 found widespread evidence of financial malfeasance and gross negligence. The IRS could not account for 64 percent of its congressional appropriation.


Another good question would be: how much time/money do WE waste trying to comply with the IRS?

[America_Right]

Thanks for the info. Maybe I should go back and check to see if I made the mistake or they did before I pay them.

Nah, not worth my time. It would take me a few hours to see if I really need to pay them the $14.88...