[Andrea19]

Could the best part of this tax preparation actually be free?

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[Daveinyork]

It would work for some people who are not self employed. It would not work for the self employed. Also, there are other issues that would not show up on third party filings like w-2’s and 1099’s.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

The IRS should just receive your paycheck straight from your employer, take out what they need, and forward anything left over to you.

[llevrok]

How about a simple flat tax and make it really simple with many less at the IRS needed to manage this.

[NEMDF]

Sounds like one more way to take control of our lives and tell us that we don’t need to worry about it. Also another industry becomes obsolete, taken over by the federal government.

[Son of Redleg]

In the UK it is the norm that people do not file tax returns. Unless you are a company director, self employed, have rental income, etc, you aren't required to file. Most income and interest is taxed at source and there are few deductible expenses worth declaring. For example mortgage interest is not deductible in the UK.

For me the worst thing about filing a return is that you get to see just how little of what you earn is left after the government gets it's share. As a business owner, I also know how much additional tax is paid on employment for ‘National Insurance’ (our so-called free ‘health care’).

It is pretty easy and straightforward to file if you need to do it, it takes me less than an hour each year. That's why professional tax return preparation isn't a big business in the UK.

[theBuckwheat]

Payment of taxes has two essential functions: 1) it pays for government and 2) it makes the cost of that government tangible to each taxpayer. Thus, when government moves to hide the payment of taxes, it is moving to hide its real cost to those who are paying the bill.