User Panel
Posted: 3/25/2017 5:31:05 AM EDT
It's the worst and most complicated tax code/system ever devised. There are so many reasons why, I can't list them all. But here are a couple:
The instructions for filling out a 1040 are over 150 pages long. I tried to file my own tax return one time and I was unable to do it. It creates a headache and is extremely time consuming at worst, for some Americans trying to file their taxes (K-1 forms are a nightmare also) and at best, it's a pointless inconvenience that costs everyone $100-200 a year to file. Over-complicated returns mean most Americans can't figure it out on their own or don't have time, so an entire tax preparation industry came about just to deal with it. I'm too busy working to figure out that overcomplicated nonsense. America is one of only two countries in the world that makes its expats still file and pay taxes in America even while living and working overseas (the other country is an impoverished African country that does not have the means to enforce that rule). American expats who refuse to comply risk being flagged and arrested the minute they land back on American soil. I almost got hired by a Japanese company once so this affects me too. Look up tax returns for American expat international pilots. It's insane the hoops they have to jump through, logging each flight hour in each country's airspace they pass over, then filing it. Americans living abroad permanently started renouncing their citizenship to escape the American tax nightmare. America's response: they raised the fee for renouncing citizenship (yes even that costs money) from $450 to $2500. Americans living abroad now have a harder time getting foreign bank accounts. Why? The IRS is actually making foreign banks report the exact amount of Americans' bank accounts! They're paranoid about people trying to escape their communist draconian tax system. I love what America used to stand for (freedom!) but not what it is becoming. There's no escaping taxes, except by death! I will never want to commit suicide (I hope that doesn't change) but sometimes all the crap our government does to us makes me want to skip/bypass this crappy world and go straight to heaven. There won't be any taxes in heaven! That's pretty much the only place the IRS can't reach! |
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It's also not just the tax system thats broken, but its the extent to which we are all taxed....I tried adding it all up one day and gave up.
In my area alone I have a school tax, real estate tax, 1% income tax, which I didn't realize existed until after I've been here for awhile and now need to figure out how to pay. |
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If you think it's bad, just wait until you have a relative die and leave investments to his children, but with VERY poor documentation on those assets.
You cannot imagine how bad the IRS guidance is. |
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Great spot we're in for a country that was started over onerous taxation.
TC |
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I have lived and worked overseas for more than 10 years. Our taxes are fucked!! Particularly when compared to my UK work associates. I CANNOT SPEND MORE THAN 36 DAYS A YEAR IN THE US..
So instead of coming home and spending money here I have to take vacations in foreign countries. |
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Quoted:
I have lived and worked overseas for more than 10 years. Our taxes are fucked!! Particularly when compared to my UK work associates. I CANNOT SPEND MORE THAN 36 DAYS A YEAR IN THE US.. So instead of coming home and spending money here I have to take vacations in foreign countries. View Quote That UK? 2nd plank of communism- "a heavy progressive ir graduated income tax." |
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I do my own every year. Until the post office quit supplying them, I would get blanks there and fill them all out by hand...to make it easier for all parties involved.
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The solution is simple, (though it will never be done).
People should only vote for representatives and senators who prepare their own tax returns. They should lock themselves into a large room, and only emerge after they have prepared their tax return. We would shortly have a consumption based tax system. |
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The solution is simple, (though it will never be done). People should only vote for representatives and senators who prepare their own tax returns. They should lock themselves into a large room, and only emerge after they have prepared their tax return. We would shortly have a consumption based tax system. View Quote |
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In the US, you don't escape taxes through death. They tax your estate.
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We will have reached a higher plane of civilization when it is generally accepted that government seizure of the fruit of a man's labor is as odious as slavery.
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You think the US is the only country with a fucking maze tax system?
Europe is worse. Europeans who come here are amazed at our "low taxes" compared to theirs. |
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Renouncing your citizenship isn't a one time fine, they require you to pay a fraction of your average income over the last two or three years.
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What do you mean OP!!??
We are only at about a total of 41,000 codes and regulations!! I mean what is wrong with that!!?? |
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I have lived and worked overseas for more than 10 years. Our taxes are fucked!! Particularly when compared to my UK work associates. I CANNOT SPEND MORE THAN 36 DAYS A YEAR IN THE US.. So instead of coming home and spending money here I have to take vacations in foreign countries. View Quote |
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Is it bad that I'm less worried about the tax and more worried about social security. I'm 31 and loss all kinds of money to social security.
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I do my own every year. Until the post office quit supplying them, I would get blanks there and fill them all out by hand...to make it easier for all parties involved. View Quote |
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What do you mean OP!!?? We are only at about a total of 41,000 codes and regulations!! I mean what is wrong with that!!?? View Quote for the betterment of the collective. Smile, relax, enjoy some wadka watch mindless romcom, mildly comedic sitcoms. Learn to let go, let Fed-Coats We will take care of you.. If not? You will be reported to I. R . S. For proper mental adjustments and community shakedown. . |
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Having worked for the IRS for more than 30 years (I actually was on the team writing the tax forms and instructions for almost all of that time), I can tell you that your objections are overblown. The reason the forms are complicated is that the law is complicated, and that's because of the interplay of various special interests, all of which have influence with Congress. I remember clearly the Tax Reform Act of 1986, which was supposed to "simplify" the tax code. It ended up adding hundreds of carve-outs, grandfather clauses, and transitional rules. We worked a lot of overtime that year trying to make sense of the provisions and then explain them to the public.
I'm convinced that more than 90% of taxpayers could do their own returns themselves, if they just carefully studied the instructions and filled out the forms. This is especially true if they planned their transactions ahead of time to minimize the tax impact. The tax-preparation industry feeds on people's irrational fears of the process. The IRS web site lets you download the forms and instructions (as .pdf files), store them on your computer, fill them out on screen and save your input, and print them out for filing. |
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Quoted:
The solution is simple, (though it will never be done). People should only vote for representatives and senators who prepare their own tax returns. They should lock themselves into a large room, and only emerge after they have prepared their tax return. We would shortly have a consumption based tax system. View Quote |
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The tax code will never be simple because HR Block and Turbo Tax and whatnot have better lobbyists than you.
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Quoted:
Having worked for the IRS for more than 30 years (I actually was on the team writing the tax forms and instructions for almost all of that time), I can tell you that your objections are overblown. The reason the forms are complicated is that the law is complicated, and that's because of the interplay of various special interests, all of which have influence with Congress. I remember clearly the Tax Reform Act of 1986, which was supposed to "simplify" the tax code. It ended up adding hundreds of carve-outs, grandfather clauses, and transitional rules. We worked a lot of overtime that year trying to make sense of the provisions and then explain them to the public. I'm convinced that more than 90% of taxpayers could do their own returns themselves, if they just carefully studied the instructions and filled out the forms. This is especially true if they planned their transactions ahead of time to minimize the tax impact. The tax-preparation industry feeds on people's irrational fears of the process. The IRS web site lets you download the forms and instructions (as .pdf files), store them on your computer, fill them out on screen and save your input, and print them out for filing. View Quote Eliminate income tax. Sales tax only. Everyone pays in then, from the 1% to illegals. |
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It's also not just the tax system thats broken, but its the extent to which we are all taxed....I tried adding it all up one day and gave up. In my area alone I have a school tax, real estate tax, 1% income tax, which I didn't realize existed until after I've been here for awhile and now need to figure out how to pay. View Quote |
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We will have reached a higher plane of civilization when it is generally accepted that government seizure of the fruit of a man's labor is as odious as slavery. View Quote They realized slaves produce better when they think they're free, and they figured out how to enslave the whole country instead of only a small percentage. |
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If you think it's bad, just wait until you have a relative die and leave investments to his children, but with VERY poor documentation on those assets. You cannot imagine how bad the IRS guidance is. View Quote |
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I had to buy the TOP tier tax software, upgrade it on the fly, and call their 800 number and answer 4 multiple choice questions going back 30 years just to submit my vanilla tax return. And it's not because I have no idea what I'm doing. It forces you to do all that.
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Quoted:
Having worked for the IRS for more than 30 years (I actually was on the team writing the tax forms and instructions for almost all of that time), I can tell you that your objections are overblown. The reason the forms are complicated is that the law is complicated, and that's because of the interplay of various special interests, all of which have influence with Congress. I remember clearly the Tax Reform Act of 1986, which was supposed to "simplify" the tax code. It ended up adding hundreds of carve-outs, grandfather clauses, and transitional rules. We worked a lot of overtime that year trying to make sense of the provisions and then explain them to the public. I'm convinced that more than 90% of taxpayers could do their own returns themselves, if they just carefully studied the instructions and filled out the forms. This is especially true if they planned their transactions ahead of time to minimize the tax impact. The tax-preparation industry feeds on people's irrational fears of the process. The IRS web site lets you download the forms and instructions (as .pdf files), store them on your computer, fill them out on screen and save your input, and print them out for filing. View Quote |
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Don't forget all of the excise taxes, fees, licenses, hidden charges. If the truth was known, 70% or more of your money goes to the government. View Quote |
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Is it bad that I'm less worried about the tax and more worried about social security. I'm 31 and loss all kinds of money to social security. View Quote |
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The income tax is immoral.
You trade a portion of your life for money and then the government declares that they have right to a significant portion of that money. It is essentially slavery because they own that portion of your life that you trade for income to live. Try to evade it and they send men with guns to take it from you. |
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For the expats like me: Look at https://www.irs.gov/uac/newsroom/foreign-earned-income-exclusion-2016. The current Foreign Earned Income Exclusion is USD $101,300 for 2016. That's up 500 bucks from 2015. I've never even got close to the exclusion limit. Of course, YMMV.. Just stay out of the US for longer than 331 days, and you just have to file a return and your 2555. I've been overseas for 12.5 years now, only back for 17 days back in 2012 for a physical and drink beer with the NOVA HTF crew.
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You lost me here " I almost got hired by a Japanese company once so this affects me too. "
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i won't worry about the tax system. congress is going to reform it.
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What you say, vote the bumbs out who won't reform our tax system? Impossible because there is a permanent majority of voters who
will always support the present system. The population of dependents has increased and will increase faster than non dependent population. |
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What you say, vote the bumbs out who won't reform our tax system? Impossible because there is a permanent majority of voters who will always support the present system. The population of dependents has increased and will increase faster than non dependent population. View Quote Stay healthy, train, because there's a war coming and it's going to be brutal and winner take all. You'll have to choose between winning, submission, or death. |
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