[vgetr]

Ultimately the problem is that the tax code is altogether too complex. I filed by hand up until a couple of years ago when I had to start accounting for things like capital gains and dividends from stock sales, and at that point it became too difficult and I started paying for TurboTax. At the end of the day they solve a problem that is entirely manufactured by government.

The main area where the system seems to be gamed from a software standpoint is that the federal government provides software if your income is below a certain threshold. More than that and you’re on your own. _That_ has lobbying written all over it.

[alexmingoia]

A flat income tax as the sole tax would eliminate tax filing complexity. It would also eliminate the inequality in the tax code (sales tax is a larger income tax on lower incomes, tax credits disproportionally benefit people in lower cost of living areas, etc.). A flat income tax is equal in that everyone pays the same rate, and fair in that the more money a person earns the more they pay.