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Friday, March 26, 2010

Tax Code Complexity

In our economic policy chapter, we explain that the complexity of the tax code reflects the complexity of the economy. Still, it is a challenge both for citizenship (it is hard to comply with the law) and deliberation (legislators do not fully comprehend the law that they are amending). In an earlier post, we noted that the IRS Commissioner does not do his own taxes. The Daily Caller finds the same for those who write the tax laws:
Rep. Xavier Becerra, a top Democrat on the Ways & Means Committee that was holding the hearing, is keeping a watchful eye on those tax preparer services, who he says sometimes fleece unwitting customers. “Americans who could fill out a simple [tax forms] are being charged hundreds of dollars to do what they” could on their own, he said.