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1. Tax payers will pay more because the government will optimize for revenue when making decisions/interpretations on their behalf 2. Errors are likely to go u

by cascom 7y ago

1. Tax payers will pay more because the government will optimize for revenue when making decisions/interpretations on their behalf 2. Errors are likely to go unnoticed as people will be loathe to “check the governments work” Also not really an argument, but a consideration is that by keeping taxes “painful”, they are more unpopular than they would be, making higher tax policies less palatable to the public.

kevinschumacher 7y ago
Both of those points are FUD in my opinion. The government is already equally as able to optimize for revenue today as you claim they would be in a situation where the IRS mails you your 1040 with your income pre-printed. Ultimately most people’s income taxes are withheld from their paycheck, and you get a refund at the end. Do you know how much you pay in taxes now? Do you think other people know how much they pay? How would your knowledge of how much you pay change under a proposed system where the IRS mails you a pre-filled 1040? You say there’s work to be checked — it’s literally “did they get my w2 right?” and “do I want to take the standard deduction?” If you don’t want to take the standard deduction, the process reverts to what it is today - you fill out your own tax forms and send them in. Nothing changes for that situation. Your second point assumes gross incompetence or straight malice, which is unfair. Edited for clarity