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.