Matt Wuerker for April 15, 2014

i would give up a few deductions to get a tax system that i could understand. my accountant likes it though.

I’m glad we don’t have to do this in the UK.

See now wasn’t that easy?!

“Thank you sir. May I have another?”

As usual, the IRS’ flawless Tax Return…NOT! ;)

Just like Donald Rumsfeld, you’re blaming this on the IRS. The fault lies with congress. The IRS doesn’t create the tax code or its complexity. Perhaps if elections were funded by taxpayers instead of tax evaders, the complexity of the tax code would become an issue of importance. Did you see how fast the GOP ran from poor Dave Camp’s relatively sensible plan once it became clear that some rich people’s tax breaks might be affected?

The vast majority of the tax codes are EXEMPTIONS, mostly corporate, rich, or “connected” parties. One of the funniest I read was the convolutions to get the owner of a dry cleaning establishment a tax dodge. It got so detailed in making it apply to only one individual in the world, the Congressman writing it almost got down to counting how many hairs in the guy’s mustache.

Nobody loves paying taxes, but may I remind the chickenhawks who keep giving slight of hand compliments to our military folks that indeed, freedom isn’t free, and neither are highways, or bombs.