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The IRS could develop a system where they list what information they've received already, and you can then validate that this represents the complete set of exp

The IRS could develop a system where they list what information they've received already, and you can then validate that this represents the complete set of expected information and request that they go ahead and process taxes now without waiting. If they then receive more information later that would affect your taxes, they can bill you, or otherwise just go through the same process they would if you filed your taxes incorrectly under the current system.

basseq 8y ago
Ideally, you'd want the IRS to be able to reliably populate a tax return, where all you do it sign it (or make corrections). A world where the IRS is pre-populating a return that may not be correct starts getting tough, even with such a taxpayer-warrant system.
- eridius 8y ago
  Ideally, yes. If you need to preserve the ability to get refunds earlier than April 15 then one of two things needs to happen: 1. Move up the deadline for companies to submit tax information to the IRS, or 2. Allow taxpayers to declare that the IRS will not receive any more tax information than what they already have, with penalties for lying (presumably, the same penalties as what happens today if you submit your taxes early and you yourself haven't received all the relevant information yet). Or we could just pay the one-time hit of "you can't get your refund early" and have the IRS process taxes once the existing deadline has passed for companies submitting tax information to the IRS. I say one-time hit because after the first time, any refunds for following years would occur 1 year after the previous year's refund, just like it does today, it would just be at a different point in the year (assuming you even submitted taxes early to begin with; if you didn't, then no change).
  - basseq 8y ago
    #1 - You’d have the entire corporate world up in arms every year. #2 - Probably the best solution, though kind of waters down the revolution. #3 - Probably what SHOULD happen, but again, political suicide.

basseq 8y ago

Ideally, you'd want the IRS to be able to reliably populate a tax return, where all you do it sign it (or make corrections). A world where the IRS is pre-populating a return that may not be correct starts getting tough, even with such a taxpayer-warrant system.

eridius 8y ago
Ideally, yes. If you need to preserve the ability to get refunds earlier than April 15 then one of two things needs to happen: 1. Move up the deadline for companies to submit tax information to the IRS, or 2. Allow taxpayers to declare that the IRS will not receive any more tax information than what they already have, with penalties for lying (presumably, the same penalties as what happens today if you submit your taxes early and you yourself haven't received all the relevant information yet). Or we could just pay the one-time hit of "you can't get your refund early" and have the IRS process taxes once the existing deadline has passed for companies submitting tax information to the IRS. I say one-time hit because after the first time, any refunds for following years would occur 1 year after the previous year's refund, just like it does today, it would just be at a different point in the year (assuming you even submitted taxes early to begin with; if you didn't, then no change).
- basseq 8y ago
  #1 - You’d have the entire corporate world up in arms every year. #2 - Probably the best solution, though kind of waters down the revolution. #3 - Probably what SHOULD happen, but again, political suicide.