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The only reason they are a burden to fill out (or more so than most other countries) is because direct incentives have some "stink" on them to most Americans, w

The only reason they are a burden to fill out (or more so than most other countries) is because direct incentives have some "stink" on them to most Americans, who have bought into this "bootstrapping faux-frontiersman" myth for ages. It's much more palatable to call it a "tax rebate for installing solar panels" than "a government subsidy for installing solar panels". However, just getting rid of that and making it rather automatic (e.g. like in some Scandinavian countries, where your employer and banks send some forms to the government, which in turn computes your taxes, leaving you to just sign off on the prefilled stuff) would be such a relief!

gruez 6y ago
>However, just getting rid of that and making it rather automatic (e.g. like in some Scandinavian countries, where your employer and banks send some forms to the government, which in turn computes your taxes, leaving you to just sign off on the prefilled stuff) would be such a relief! They already do that. Employers are required to withhold income taxes on your behalf. The only thing missing is for the IRS to consolidate all the reports for you and give you a pre-filled form rather than having you do it yourself.
henrikschroder 6y ago
> where your employer and banks send some forms to the government This already happens in the US, your employer sends a W-2 to the government reporting exactly how much taxes they've paid on your behalf. Your bank does something similar. AND THEN everyone is required to fill out a form reporting how much they've earned, as if the government didn't already know, just so Intuit can make more money. Yaaaay, capitalism!
- klipt 6y ago
  > Yaaaay, capitalism! Capitalism also provides free options like freetaxusa or credit karma taxes.
  - Kye 6y ago
    It might be a meaningless philosophical point, but I don't see how a company that only exists to serve people on behalf of a government with policies bought by industry lobbyists can be considered capitalist. It isn't even socialism because it seems to be permanent, not transitory.
- alkonaut 6y ago
  "Capitalism" doesn't mean corporations make the laws. Tons of capitalist countries have very easy tax processes. Not sure what the word for a system where corporations gain political influence through lobbying, but I don't think that's what "capitalism" is.

gruez 6y ago

>However, just getting rid of that and making it rather automatic (e.g. like in some Scandinavian countries, where your employer and banks send some forms to the government, which in turn computes your taxes, leaving you to just sign off on the prefilled stuff) would be such a relief! They already do that. Employers are required to withhold income taxes on your behalf. The only thing missing is for the IRS to consolidate all the reports for you and give you a pre-filled form rather than having you do it yourself.

henrikschroder 6y ago

> where your employer and banks send some forms to the government This already happens in the US, your employer sends a W-2 to the government reporting exactly how much taxes they've paid on your behalf. Your bank does something similar. AND THEN everyone is required to fill out a form reporting how much they've earned, as if the government didn't already know, just so Intuit can make more money. Yaaaay, capitalism!

klipt 6y ago
> Yaaaay, capitalism! Capitalism also provides free options like freetaxusa or credit karma taxes.
- Kye 6y ago
  It might be a meaningless philosophical point, but I don't see how a company that only exists to serve people on behalf of a government with policies bought by industry lobbyists can be considered capitalist. It isn't even socialism because it seems to be permanent, not transitory.
alkonaut 6y ago
"Capitalism" doesn't mean corporations make the laws. Tons of capitalist countries have very easy tax processes. Not sure what the word for a system where corporations gain political influence through lobbying, but I don't think that's what "capitalism" is.