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The government literally already computes the number they expect you to owe. It's how they send you a letter if your own calculations come up short (or long, in

The government literally already computes the number they expect you to owe. It's how they send you a letter if your own calculations come up short (or long, in which case they will in fact contact you to issue you a refund). If the government simply sends you their calculations (which they are already computing anyway) and you disagree, you would still be able to file an amended return with a company like TurboTax. Why do you think it is—specifically—that a multitude of other governments can manage to accomplish this feat, but the United States government shouldn't be able to?

throwaway413 5y ago
To be honest, I don’t know much at all about how taxes work in other countries, including those at or greater than the population scale of the US. It’s a good point, I will learn more about it. Regarding the first point. You trust the government to do that for you? Genuinely asking. I have no stance formed on that yet.
- failwhaleshark 5y ago
  Most Scandinavian countries compute taxes for you. If you approve of the government calculations, it's easy to finalize it.
- stouset 5y ago
  > You trust the government to do that for you? If they disagree with me, they send me a bill for the difference anyway. The only way that's changing is if I provide them with additional information they didn't already have. If after that we still disagree, "whether or not I trust them" is philosophically moot: there's a resolution process for disagreements. And if you don't trust them to get the number right, nothing stops you from filing your own return with the information you believe is correct.
failwhaleshark 5y ago
Every other government in the world doesn't have corrupt leadership, corrupt and unfair tax codes. If taxes were straightforward, then why would anyone have to compute them manually except for edge-cases, which a government representative could assist with?
- stouset 5y ago
  Do you understand that that's the reality we're saying we want to make happen?
  - failwhaleshark 5y ago
    Well, of course. This is the way it is in much of the world already.

throwaway413 5y ago

To be honest, I don’t know much at all about how taxes work in other countries, including those at or greater than the population scale of the US. It’s a good point, I will learn more about it. Regarding the first point. You trust the government to do that for you? Genuinely asking. I have no stance formed on that yet.

failwhaleshark 5y ago
Most Scandinavian countries compute taxes for you. If you approve of the government calculations, it's easy to finalize it.
stouset 5y ago
> You trust the government to do that for you? If they disagree with me, they send me a bill for the difference anyway. The only way that's changing is if I provide them with additional information they didn't already have. If after that we still disagree, "whether or not I trust them" is philosophically moot: there's a resolution process for disagreements. And if you don't trust them to get the number right, nothing stops you from filing your own return with the information you believe is correct.

failwhaleshark 5y ago

Every other government in the world doesn't have corrupt leadership, corrupt and unfair tax codes. If taxes were straightforward, then why would anyone have to compute them manually except for edge-cases, which a government representative could assist with?

stouset 5y ago
Do you understand that that's the reality we're saying we want to make happen?
- failwhaleshark 5y ago
  Well, of course. This is the way it is in much of the world already.