Imagine if income tax made sense!

I'm in Canada so I don't know how US tax filing works.

I just finished completing Canadian returns for myself & wife. I'm extremely frustrated & angry at how complex and confusing it is. I'd like to make all members of the government and its bureaucracy manually complete their own tax returns; preferably within a monitored time limit of, let's say, one hour - on pain of dismissal.

Why don't we have a simple & rational system of income tax? It's an absurd folly, using the tax system to incentivize/discourage activities & lifestyles instead of using subsidies, legislation or regulation to do so.

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ArishMell · 70-79, M

The UK system is no simpler. I have only ever once needed to complete an HMRC tax Return, and that was many years ago. It has to be completed on-line now, at least for businesses, and is so difficult, and even honest mistakes are so dangerous, it's best for them to employ an accountant!

Why so difficult?

I think each country's system has developed in fragmentary ways over time, to suit extra circumstances and new regulations or tax-types as they arise, and no-one seems able to simplify it.

Also, these and many other forms, and things like telecommunications and IT company web-sites, are created by people who understand their system so deeply they genuinely cannot see their work and its difficulties as the unfortunate users see them.

SatyrService · M

some of us think a flat tax is in order
you know, across the board, the same rate no matter the source of the income

but our Big Money people would hat that

Virgo79 · 61-69, M

It could be real simple, everyone pays a percentage. Thats it

xp47rb · M

The US tax filing is just as bad, pretty much for the same reasons.

ImperialAerosolKidFromEP · 51-55, M

I'd accept double the complexity if I didn't have to work for the government for half the year

Really · 80-89, M

@ImperialAerosolKidFromEPWhat proportion of your work/earnings do you think should go towards maintaining the government-organized infrastructure and services that we all use? How would you measure that?

ImperialAerosolKidFromEP · 51-55, M

@Really We can start doing a sanity check on that, comparing for how long I work for the government, vs:
-The guys who built my house
-Grocery stores
-Internet
-Streaming services
-Even the oil companies take well less from me that the epitome of inefficiency

Really · 80-89, M

@ImperialAerosolKidFromEP Sanity check sounds like a good idea 😆

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