4 ms·

The IRS guide to debugging XML errors in your rejected tax return

37 points by jpatokal 12y ago

ExpiredLink 12y ago
XML Schema is not the right tool to validate user input.
gumby 12y ago
I love that it begins, "Rejected returns are a disappointment." (no snark implied. It is sweet).
mgraczyk 12y ago
Shouldn't the link be http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-utl/Fixing-Your-XML-Error.pdf http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-utl/Fixing-Your-XML-Error.pdf ?
- jvoorhis 12y ago
  Wat
- meric 12y ago
  An efficient bureaucracy assigns forms with numbers, and user errors with XPaths.
jvoorhis 12y ago
For the past 3-4 years I've happily coughed up the fee for a good, local CPA. I found them via word of mouth and recommended them since, based on their results. If we want to disintermediate the big chains, let's take a look at what the good guys are doing and work with them. I've always seen a great value, and no XML errors..
hanlec 12y ago
Ridiculous. I'm wondering how large was the budget and who got the largest stake of it for spitting all this useless errors (_nb_ it's still better than failing silently)
- rtpg 12y ago
  I think this is just a thing, like any software projects, where there's a list of bugs, and you try to fix as many as you can. And when they're not fixed, the support team needs to write _something_. I can sympathize with whoever wrote this. I imagine working for the IRS has its own set of stresses (esp. considering this is stopping people from getting their refunds or whatnot too)
vgabios 12y ago
Perhaps if the less wealthy were able to wrest power from the very wealthy whom have clearly gamed the US tax code with Enron-like complexity, personal taxes could be fairer and similar to Norway's dual model, where the govt computes taxes for persons in the majority of cases based on standard deductions and can be easily approved by the taxpayer by SMS if it is correct. This would end most of the unnecessary labor and drudgery that also happens to be extremely unfair. The first point is the troubling one, because politicians in the US are drunk with money of the very same people whom pay the least taxes and amass large piles of cash to buy their interests, a behavior few people can do individually (but could collectively, if they were sufficiently organized and singularly aggressive on such an issue (crowdfunding-like model)).

37 points by jpatokal 12y ago

ExpiredLink 12y ago

XML Schema is not the right tool to validate user input.

gumby 12y ago

I love that it begins, "Rejected returns are a disappointment." (no snark implied. It is sweet).

mgraczyk 12y ago

Shouldn't the link be http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-utl/Fixing-Your-XML-Error.pdf http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-utl/Fixing-Your-XML-Error.pdf ?

jvoorhis 12y ago
Wat
meric 12y ago
An efficient bureaucracy assigns forms with numbers, and user errors with XPaths.

jvoorhis 12y ago

For the past 3-4 years I've happily coughed up the fee for a good, local CPA. I found them via word of mouth and recommended them since, based on their results. If we want to disintermediate the big chains, let's take a look at what the good guys are doing and work with them. I've always seen a great value, and no XML errors..

hanlec 12y ago

Ridiculous. I'm wondering how large was the budget and who got the largest stake of it for spitting all this useless errors (_nb_ it's still better than failing silently)

rtpg 12y ago
I think this is just a thing, like any software projects, where there's a list of bugs, and you try to fix as many as you can. And when they're not fixed, the support team needs to write _something_. I can sympathize with whoever wrote this. I imagine working for the IRS has its own set of stresses (esp. considering this is stopping people from getting their refunds or whatnot too)

vgabios 12y ago

Perhaps if the less wealthy were able to wrest power from the very wealthy whom have clearly gamed the US tax code with Enron-like complexity, personal taxes could be fairer and similar to Norway's dual model, where the govt computes taxes for persons in the majority of cases based on standard deductions and can be easily approved by the taxpayer by SMS if it is correct. This would end most of the unnecessary labor and drudgery that also happens to be extremely unfair. The first point is the troubling one, because politicians in the US are drunk with money of the very same people whom pay the least taxes and amass large piles of cash to buy their interests, a behavior few people can do individually (but could collectively, if they were sufficiently organized and singularly aggressive on such an issue (crowdfunding-like model)).