[nightski]

It's because everyone wants their situation to be special and get special tax breaks because of it. Don't get me wrong, Turbotax is scummy but the real truth is if a politician wants to eliminate "deductions" which is what makes taxes so complicated - then you get a large backlash because someone's taxes are getting increased.

The government can't automate it because a lot of these deductions are not things they can learn about looking at your W-2.