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The screwed up taxes is a symptom of a dysfunctional government. The fix is to address the root cause--reducing excessive lobbying that seems to control the go

The screwed up taxes is a symptom of a dysfunctional government. The fix is to address the root cause--reducing excessive lobbying that seems to control the government and implementing a direct democracy that puts the government better under the people's control (it's time to replace the electoral college).

mxschumacher 8y ago
I'm not sure it as simple as blaming lobbyism or the electoral college. In France and Germany filing taxes is also an insanely painful procedure. There are massive bureaucratic institutions and processes that need to be changed, huge IT systems to be created and maintained (doesn't the IRS use magnetic tape??) and laws to be adjusted. Making complex things simple is one of the hardest jobs out there.
- zaphod4prez 8y ago
  The above comment by moviuro, who seems to be from France, directly contradicts your claim. "1. That's how it's done in France AFAICT. In April/May we get the pre-filled form on our tax site [0,1] and make sure it's ok, then tick a box. 2. We also have a website for that (though it's probably just a glorified multiplication and graph) [2] [0] https://www.impots.gouv.fr/portail/particulier https://www.impots.gouv.fr/portail/particulier [1] it looks like https://www3.impots.gouv.fr/simulateur/calcul_impot/2019/sim.. https://www3.impots.gouv.fr/simulateur/calcul_impot/2019/sim.... [2] https://aquoiserventmesimpots.gouv.fr/" https://aquoiserventmesimpots.gouv.fr/"
  - johannes1234321 8y ago
    I don't know the French situation, but for Germany: If you are an arbitrary employee with only a salary and maybe a savings account you don't have to do anything. The employer will file salary taxes, the bank will file taxes on interests. At the end of the year they send summaries and that can be it. As soon as you have income from other sources (i.e. self-employed work etc.), want to deduce more than 1000€ etc. you have to get into the paperwork and then it can become quite complex if you want to really take all benefits in.
  - deleted 8y ago
    [deleted]
  - mxschumacher 8y ago
    I'm a German citizen working and living in France, I think I have a pretty good perspective on how hard it is to file taxes in both countries. There is the theory of how to go through the process and then there are the countless small obstacles that make it hard in practice. You don't get a thriving personal tax industry and millions of people complaining (it really is cliché at this point in France) because a trivial web-form takes care of everything.
ataturk 8y ago
Ah yes, the "eliminate the Electoral College" talking points. Because rural people in "flyover" America deserve zero representation since the big-talking city folk have all the answers. Hey, news flash: Every big city is already 100% run by liberals. They have solved exactly NOTHING and never will. All they do is run the rest of us into the ground, too. So sick of this bullshit.

mxschumacher 8y ago

I'm not sure it as simple as blaming lobbyism or the electoral college. In France and Germany filing taxes is also an insanely painful procedure. There are massive bureaucratic institutions and processes that need to be changed, huge IT systems to be created and maintained (doesn't the IRS use magnetic tape??) and laws to be adjusted. Making complex things simple is one of the hardest jobs out there.

zaphod4prez 8y ago
The above comment by moviuro, who seems to be from France, directly contradicts your claim. "1. That's how it's done in France AFAICT. In April/May we get the pre-filled form on our tax site [0,1] and make sure it's ok, then tick a box. 2. We also have a website for that (though it's probably just a glorified multiplication and graph) [2] [0] https://www.impots.gouv.fr/portail/particulier https://www.impots.gouv.fr/portail/particulier [1] it looks like https://www3.impots.gouv.fr/simulateur/calcul_impot/2019/sim.. https://www3.impots.gouv.fr/simulateur/calcul_impot/2019/sim.... [2] https://aquoiserventmesimpots.gouv.fr/" https://aquoiserventmesimpots.gouv.fr/"
- johannes1234321 8y ago
  I don't know the French situation, but for Germany: If you are an arbitrary employee with only a salary and maybe a savings account you don't have to do anything. The employer will file salary taxes, the bank will file taxes on interests. At the end of the year they send summaries and that can be it. As soon as you have income from other sources (i.e. self-employed work etc.), want to deduce more than 1000€ etc. you have to get into the paperwork and then it can become quite complex if you want to really take all benefits in.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
- mxschumacher 8y ago
  I'm a German citizen working and living in France, I think I have a pretty good perspective on how hard it is to file taxes in both countries. There is the theory of how to go through the process and then there are the countless small obstacles that make it hard in practice. You don't get a thriving personal tax industry and millions of people complaining (it really is cliché at this point in France) because a trivial web-form takes care of everything.

ataturk 8y ago

Ah yes, the "eliminate the Electoral College" talking points. Because rural people in "flyover" America deserve zero representation since the big-talking city folk have all the answers. Hey, news flash: Every big city is already 100% run by liberals. They have solved exactly NOTHING and never will. All they do is run the rest of us into the ground, too. So sick of this bullshit.