[sokoloff]

Well, I can’t see any feasible way to automate Schedule C and preserve a tax system that taxes income/profit (rather than revenue).

I’m not sure which part of my reply you think is amenable to tax code changes (and I don’t want to erect a strawman). If it’s just ad valorem taxes, you might be able to compel every jurisdiction seeking to impose one to provide a data feed to the feds. I’m not sure I think that’s Constitutional. You could also block the deductibility of charitable giving and property taxes (and likely hurt charities who are currently struggling; the Gates Foundation will be fine; the local soup kitchen may suffer.) That still leaves Schedule C as unsolvable, Schedule D as only partially (though increasingly) solvable, and Schedule E as likely unsolvable [having many of the same complexities as Schedule C and then some additional ones around basis, depreciation, and some real estate specific taxes/expenses that are not necessarily reported to the IRS today].

For the record, I don’t think I’m getting a great deal at all despite having a quite complicated return.