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by petejames 1963 days ago
In Ireland, employees pay as they go through the year and don't have to file return. For self employed there is very simple online system provided by the Government. I despise the US tax system.
1 comments

Technically the system is pay-as-you-go in the US; employers are required to withhold estimated tax from paychecks and pay the IRS in the employee's name, or quarterly payments are made if self-employed. The broken part is that you will receive penalties if you withhold too little, or you end up loaning cash to the IRS until you file for a refund; and there are far too many variables that change the actual tax you owe for the year, so there's no way to get the number exact except in limited circumstances.

A "cheap" fix would be to eliminate deductions, and automate marginal withholding. An expensive fix would be to service deductions on a rolling basis, applying them to future income withholding.