It's not like a magazine owned by a former Republican Presidential candidate would be biased or anything.

Obvious tag MIA.

Well if it is really that annoying for tax payers then they can always just pay the higher taxes instead. so, they won't be "annoyed" so bad by getting reduced taxes.

Christ, they spend less than certain Presidents. At least their pointless financial boondoggles only cost millions of dollars.

Democrats pass tax cuts + Republican spin Machine = Congress screws up tax payers

Hideously Gigantic Smurf: It's not like a magazine owned by a former Republican Presidential candidate would be biased or anything.

Read the article. This isn't Forbes' conclusion (Forbes conclusion would probably be something like "taxpayers' biggest problem is taxes, particularly taxes on rich people). It's actually pretty cool. This lady is hired by Congress to report back on the biggest problems taxpayers face. Previously it's been things like complexity and poor customer service and whatnot. This year she's saying, "Well, my dear bosses, for all the problems the biggest one this year is you." Kind of refreshing and ballsy. I like it!

Ron Paul Revere: Isn't that kind of like how grocery stores introduce card club programs, jack up the base prices of all products and then put them on "sale?"

Except they never "jacked up" it in the first place. So yes it would be 100% different.

Manfred J. Hattan: Read the article. This isn't Forbes' conclusion (Forbes conclusion would probably be something like "taxpayers' biggest problem is taxes, particularly taxes on rich people). It's actually pretty cool. This lady is hired by Congress to report back on the biggest problems taxpayers face. Previously it's been things like complexity and poor customer service and whatnot. This year she's saying, "Well, my dear bosses, for all the problems the biggest one this year is you." Kind of refreshing and ballsy. I like it!

I see.

If only ALL branches of government were subject to such accountability and oversight... Anymore.

Manfred J. Hattan: Read the article. This isn't Forbes' conclusion (Forbes conclusion would probably be something like "taxpayers' biggest problem is taxes, particularly taxes on rich people).

Yes, but the article and more so the Fark headline puts it in a way that makes people believe it's more about paying taxes then the process of paying the taxes.

Geez, even I'm annoyed this time around from people not reading TFA article.

Basically her beef is that Congress always waits until the last minute to pass changes to the tax code, causing people to not know of deductions they could take or having a delay in their refunds.

Hideously Gigantic Smurf 2008-01-10 06:42:05 PM
It's not like a magazine owned by a former Republican Presidential candidate would be biased or anything.

And what bias would your idiotic, didn't read the freaking article, comment refer to? Is it the imaginary one where you just assumed that the headline meant the democratic congress as opposed to congress as a whole?

What's that? After going back and reading the article you realized that it is actually a piece referring to an unbiased report by a CONGRESS APPOINTED government official that is providing her yearly overall critique of congress' practices as they relate to yearly tax deductions?

/reading is your friend
//Sarcasm is not

Many Americans wish that lawmakers would sit down and STFU.

535 people all make 150000+ every single year funded by taxpayers. That ALONE is enough to warrant the obvious tag.

Step 1) Have congress make 70k less a year.
Step 2) Slash number of people in congress by like 200.
Step 3) Pull us out of Iraq
Step 4) Eliminate Earmarks.
Step 5) ....Zomg we have money!!

Corvus: Yes, but the article and more so the Fark headline puts it in a way that makes people believe it's more about paying taxes then the process of paying the taxes.

True dat. But the real story is actually an exceedingly rare good-news story out of government. Let's take it and enjoy it. I'm gonna go have a beer and drink a toast to Ms. Olson.

Of course Congress is the problem. They make the tax code so damn complicated that it now requires an MBA in accounting and tax law just to file a 1040 correctly. Then, as the article mentions, they dink with it just before it is time to file your taxes.

My 2 cents:
* All income earned below 200% of the US Individual Poverty Level ($10,210 in 2006) should be tax free
* Each earned income tax bracket should be 10x the next lower bracket and 10% higher rate than the previous amount (ie, $0-$20.42K = no tax, $20.42K-$204.2K = base%, $204.2K-$2.042M = base%+10%, $2.042M-$20.42M = base%+20%, etc...) with 50% cap
* No deductions except for non-cosmetic health care and education tuition
* No more credits for dependents/children
* Capital gains are added to your income at 50% of their value


Seriously. Just get rid of all of these farking deductions, alternative minimum tax levels, credits for your senile grandmother's dog and just make the taxes lower for everyone. I should be able to file my taxes on a postcard sized form. Getting a letter back from the IRS because you miscalculated your AMT after checking the numbers twice is a sign that either eym da unedjumuhkated or that the IRS codes are too complex.

Congress declares war on the U.S.
Hang a bunch of politicians.
Launch a few cruise missiles into every IRS office.
Problem solved.

beer4breakfast: Geez, even I'm annoyed this time around from people not reading TFA article.

i know what you mean!

brb gotta run to the atm machine.

jake3988: 535 people all make 150000+ every single year funded by taxpayers. That ALONE is enough to warrant the obvious tag.

Step 1) Have congress make 70k less a year.
Step 2) Slash number of people in congress by like 200.
Step 3) Pull us out of Iraq
Step 4) Eliminate Earmarks.
Step 5) ....Zomg we have money!!

yeah. that whole taxation without representation thing doesn't go over so well here in the colonies, or so i hear.

burndtdan: beer4breakfast: Geez, even I'm annoyed this time around from people not reading TFA article.

i know what you mean!

brb gotta run to the atm machine.

Doh!

Smellvin: Obvious tag MIA.

Congress failed to approve the Obvious tag before the end of the year.

ScubaDude1960
Congress declares war on the U.S.
Hang a bunch of politicians.
Launch a few cruise missiles into every IRS office.
Problem solved.

Amen!!

Taxpayers' biggest problem? Democrat Congress, says report


FTFY

FairTax (new window)

I would think that the taxes themselves would be a bigger problem for taxpayers.

The article, for those who didn't RTFA, is quite cool. As Manfred J. Hattan says, it's not about paying taxes; it's the IRS complaining about how Congress makes filing taxes a pain in the ass. I agree 100%.

Bear in mind the IRS is just a collection agency -- that's their job. They don't write the rules. As far as tax collectors go, I believe they're one of the best in the world. You don't have tax collectors skimming off the top or pointing guns at your head like they do in other countries. They even offer extensions and amendments -- you think they offer options like that in China?! They're among the most efficient branches of the federal government. Of all the people I met who didn't like the IRS, they were all greedy, anti-tax cheaters. They ought to know what it's like to pay taxes in dictatorships.

And you know what? I WANT the "free lunch" anti-tax crowd to get busted. Infrastructure ain't free, I pay my damn taxes on time with no funny math, and I've never once had a problem with the IRS. And YOU cheating on YOUR taxes makes MY taxes go up. (Am I the only one who gives a fark about the rules?!)

If you hate paying taxes, don't blame the IRS. Save your wrath for Congress. They're the ones who SPEND your tax dollars -- on no-bid construction projects for bridges in Alaska, no less.

The people that participated in this "poll" must be idiots or huge fans of FAUX NEWS.

Congress has been horrible for the last 7 years! This Democratic Congress has a minor lead. They do not have the votes needed to pass any meaningful bills that Bush won't use the veto crayon over.

sigh... have to do everything myself as always

Congress' annual December tweaks of the tax code affect a very small portion of taxpayers. Usually people who have more money than Crassus ever dreamed of.

I think we should give the Articles of Confederation a second chance.

/Obscure?
//Hope not.

jake3988: 535 people all make 150000+ every single year funded by taxpayers. That ALONE is enough to warrant the obvious tag.

Step 1) Have congress make 70k less a year.
And go back to only being in DC 6 months a year. We don't need a bunch of people sitting around that much trying to screw us out of every dollar we make.

Step 2) Slash number of people in congress by like 200.
Eh, not so much. Unless you are talking about non-elected people. The number of Senators and Representatives comes from the Constitution changing that is going to be a mess and probably not worth the trouble. When you're looking at a budget in the trillions, the million or so this will save isn't the right place to start.

Step 3) Pull us out of Iraq
*nod*

Step 4) Eliminate Earmarks.
California has the right idea here. Pass a single issue amendment to the US Constitution for Congress. Each bill may only deal with a single issue, and amendments cannot be added to it which are outside the scope of that issue. It's not perfect, but it helps. At least they would be accountable for everything they want to pass, even if, like California, the people are still dumb enough to go along with it.

Step 5) ....Zomg we have money!!
Not likely, Congress has never been able to keeps its hands off extra money, why would they start now?

Hmm... where can we cut the budget? This is a real head-scratcher.



We're obviously spending too much on education and social programs.

Redo that bar graph as a percentage of GDP and get back to me. Hint, we are not that far away from other countries. Just because we HAVE more money we spend more. Kind of makes sense. As an overall percentage, we are on the mid to high end, but by no means the biggest.

When someone complains about how the IRS is making their rebate check late this year and it's robbing them of money, I just want to facepalm three times over. Then when I remember that they don't vote, and it's four times.

deevo: When someone complains about how the IRS is making their rebate check late this year and it's robbing them of money, I just want to facepalm pimp slap them three times over. Then when I remember that they don't vote, and it's four times.

Like what you said, except modified as above.