Do you screw yourself by E-Filing your taxes?

Self | 03/10/03 | Patrick Godfrey

[knews_hound]

The premise seems like a gift from the Government, if you are willing to file your Taxes Electronically, they will process your return quicker and, potentially, get your Tax rebate back to you sooner.

It may not be all it is cracked up to be.

Since its inception, more and more Americans are taking advantage of the IRS's new program of E-Filing. That is, sending your information directly to the IRS via an electronic medium. It gets there much faster, does not have to be sorted, assigned, and sent through the system as standard paper forms do.

It has been a boon for the IRS of course. The administrative costs associated with E-Filing is much lower, far less employee intensive and more accurate.

To some however, these are not necessarily good things.

For example, every dollar that the IRS does not spend for personnel to open and sort returns is a dollar that can be spent for Auditors, Audit software and other expert systems. Additionally, E-Filing makes it easier for the IRS to electronically store your info, without having to painstakingly input it first.

In light of these circumstances, the question has to be asked...

Are you doing yourself a disservice by filing electronically?

Are you simply giving the IRS additional assets to make it easier to Audit and keep closer eyes on the rest of us?

I am by no means an expert on either the IRS or any other government agency for that matter, but it seems like only common sense to me.

[knews_hound]

Your thoughts or comments please.

Cheers,

knews hound

[bert]

I would argue that the year is 2003 and things change. It's time to change if you have the ability.

The other side of you coin is the IRS will be defunded to compensate for the savings from e filing. :-}

[Lexington Green]

Overwhelm them with the paperwork. Keep the taxman at his desk and out of your life.

[knews_hound]

If they did indeed lower their budget by the saved amount, I would have no problem with it.

This is the one case where I LIKE the Government being inefficient!

Cheers,

knews hound

[hsmomx3]

Let me add to your comments. What if the postman loses your return and/or tax refund? We've had plenty of lost mail in our neck of the woods. I love e-filing. It gets directly deposited into my account.

[Centurion2000]

Additionally, E-Filing makes it easier for the IRS to electronically store your info, without having to painstakingly input it first.

Who cares ?? I didn't cheat on it so I don't care where the data sits in the fed, so long as it's not used by third parties.

[Just another Joe]

The other side of you coin is the IRS will be defunded to compensate for the savings from e filing. :-}

BWAHAHAHAHA
That's the funniest thing I've heard in a long time.

[knews_hound]

That was the point my Tax Guy had.

He refuses to E-File for anyone. He says, if they want to screw themselfs, thats their problem.

He just will not give them help doing it.

Cheers

knews hound

[CobaltBlue]

We've been e-filing for several years and like it. Mostly because we (well, me) are terrible procrastinators, so this ends the rush for the post office at the last minute.

My theory is that if your return is easy to read and understand you are less likely to get questioned. Make it easy on them and they'll save their wrath for someone who's been a PITA (pain in the you-know).

[clamper1797]

Missed ya at the doins

[Trust but Verify]

Ding, ding, ding, ding!! We have a winner! Only those who are LYING and CHEATING on their taxes have anything to worry about. This excludes 95% of those filing.

[CobaltBlue]

Direct deposit is good, too.

[Trust but Verify]

What else would a Tax Guy say?

[Trust but Verify]

Oh, but you're giving the Feds your bank account number!

[ColdSteelTalon]

Well if you have filed an honest return you should have nothing to worry about. Besides using an electronic medium to defraud the Government is Wire fraud, and unless I am mistaken it is a felony. I e-file, and I hire a tax preparer to do my taxes to save me some grief.

I simply have nothing to hide, the government would be wasting their time auditing me, and even if they did I can legally justify everything.

Of course I hate the income tax but we must obey the law.

[WriteOn]

I won't efile on the theory that it makes it that much harder for them to soft and sift my paperwork. Maybe they'll lose me...

[ican'tbelieveit]

They know it already. And if you have to send a payment, they know it. Under the new Homeland Security laws, they are going to know it too.

[knews_hound]

Only those who are LYING and CHEATING on their taxes have anything to worry about. This excludes 95% of those filing.

Actually, it has little to do with it.

I have NEVER cheated on my taxes.

But I got Audited none the less.

Why would I want to make it easier for the IRS to add Auditors in my case?

The Audit came out fine BTW, we had actually OVERPAID about 275 Dollars.

Which just about paid for 1/10 of the actual expense we had in the whole thing.

Just because you are Audited does not mean you are guilty.

Cheers,

knews hound

[TroutStalker]

And if you mail a fraudulent return, it is mail fraud. Not much difference in my opinion.

I am going to try efiling for the first time.

[knews_hound]

Missed it too

If it would have been any other weekend, we would have been fine. But we had out of town guests and there was no way I could break free.

PLEASE remember me for the fall doins though, OK?