[saulpw]

87% of people take the standard deduction: https://www.irs.gov/statistics/soi-tax-stats-tax-stats-at-a-...

And taxes have never taken "just" an hour of my time. It's an entire afternoon of frustrated reading up on tax esoterica so I can figure out e.g. whether I should itemize or take the standard deduction (which I always wind up doing anyway). And 14 other things that I promptly forget about.

[rhaway84773]

Also, if the IRS provided people with completed tax forms to use as a baseline, it would be an educational process.

My taxes for the first few years as an earning adult were fairly simple. Yet, I was never sure I did it right. I’m still not sure I’ve ever done my taxes correctly.

Having a filled in form from the IRS for those first few years would have taught me what correct taxes look like, at least for the simplest of cases.

Now as there are more complications in my taxes, with marriage, multiple jobs, etc. at least I would have the confidence I got my basics right and it would just be a matter of learning about those complications instead.

[readthenotes1]

Only an afternoon?

When I traveled freelance, it was an easy 40 hours. If I'd hired a bookkeeper and an accountant I might have saved most of it but it would have cost me more than I saved.