[spaceseaman]

> Taxes are just too darn complicated!

While I understand this sentiment, I feel that a complicated tax code (or legal code in general) is just where countries end up going as they become larger and more important in the day-to-day lives of its citizens. All the various financial situations in this country are incredibly complicated.

Perhaps we should take a similar route as public defenders (not in practice but in theory, public defenders are horribly under-funded at the moment). The government could provide a tax management program for the general public that does the basics for you. Basically if you qualify for a 1040-EZ you can just use some IRS front-end system. If you have a more complicated situation, then accountants are always available.

I'm frankly disappointed our governments have not done more with the Internet.

[gwbas1c]

The problem is that TurboTax lobbies against this. Basically, they benefit from our current system. That's why proposal for things like the IRS filling out your taxes for you are illegal.

Really, what should happen is that the IRS mails you your taxes already filled out, you check for errors and fill in the things that aren't reported, and mail it back. This would kill TurboTax's business, so they lobby against it.

[craftyguy]

So the solution isn't to nerf the existing tax code, but instead to elect representatives that are actually looking out for their electorate instead of companies like TurboTax.