Comments on: Fred’s Tax Reform Proposal

By: ChrisG

ChrisG — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 03:17:15 +0000

Good Idea!

I am going to also contact them by phone and tell them it is coming.

By: suek

suek — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 00:11:19 +0000

May I suggest (re: 2005 return) hard copy and send to them by certified mail – return receipt requested? Really aggravating to have to do something like that, but you know – the third time’s the charm…and it would put it in _their_ court!

By: ChrisG

ChrisG — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 19:43:23 +0000

I work with civilian government employees (though DoD employees are different from the rest). While the DoD forces itself to follow standard business practices, most of the government does not.

But then, it is only news when the DoD can be slammed. DOS higher ups flew very expensivly and committed other abuses which would have gotten a DOD employee fired and prosecuted and the media said next to nothing.

The first line was somewhat sarcastic (which does not print well..) but weaning off the confusing tax systems in place would save individuals, companies, and government (at all levels) huge ammounts of time and money.

That said, the IRS now realizes it has misplaced my 2005 tax return (as usual, they owe me money) and I have to send in the e-file all over again (for the third time)…..

By: suek

suek — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 18:43:21 +0000

I didn’t say it was _bad_ – but it also isn’t ‘nothing’. Agree with you on the huge industry and wasteful part, as well as the rest of that statement. I know H&R hires temps – I worked for them a number of years ago as well. I’m not so sure about the actual accountants finding better jobs bit, though. _Much_ of accounting is bean counting for the bureaucrats of the IRS. Maybe we could make the government hire them – heaven knows the government could use some “standard” business accounting practices – make the government use the same standards they enforce on business….! How’s _that_ for a novel concept!

By: ChrisG

ChrisG — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 05:11:04 +0000

Suek,

And the loss of the tax preparation industry is bad because?

The fact it HAS to be a huge industry indicates that tax collection under current practices is wasteful and loses large amounts of tax revenues. This is backed up by several investigations of the IRS “overhead” costs. These reports and investigations alone indicate the entire tax collection system is fraught with fraud and abuse.

Also, H&R Block (from personal experience I had) hires temps during tax time. The actual accountants can easily find better jobs, especially when a lower tax burden spurs industry to invest.

By: suek

suek — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 23:38:14 +0000

You know what’s going to happen to the whole tax preparation industry if he gets elected and succeeds in pushing this through??? Holy cow!! We’re talking H&R Block,TurboTax for starters, about 80% of accountants…a whole industry! I’m not knowledgeable enough to really evaluate the ups and downs of this, but I _do_ know that tax accounting is one heck of a huge business!

By: Curt

Curt — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 21:59:50 +0000

More ambitious? Maybe not. But I would agree the Fair Tax is quite a bad idea, add in Huck’s history of increasing taxes and you have a major reason not to support him.

By: bbartlog

bbartlog — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 21:42:09 +0000

I don’t think this is actually ‘more ambitious’ than the Fair Tax proposal Huckabee is pushing. But Thompson’s proposal is actually very good whereas the Fair Tax is an awful idea.