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Finance

U.S. Tax Code Longer Than the Bible — Without Good News

Jan. 9, 2013 4:55pm Jason Howerton

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Too intimidated to fill out your tax return without help? Join the club.

At nearly 4 million words, the U.S. tax law is so thick and complicated that businesses and individuals spend more than 6 billion hours a year complying with filing requirements, according to a report Wednesday by an independent government watchdog.

That’s the equivalent of 3 million people working full-time, year-round.

“If tax compliance were an industry, it would be one of the largest in the United States,” says the report by Nina E. Olson, the National Taxpayer Advocate.

The days of most taxpayers sitting down with a pencil and a calculator to figure out their taxes are long gone, Olson said. Since 2001, Congress has made almost 5,000 changes to U.S. tax law. That’s an average of more than one a day.

As a result, almost 60 percent of filers will pay someone to prepare their tax returns this spring. An additional 30 percent will use commercial software. Without the help, Olson says, most taxpayers would be lost.

“On the one hand, taxpayers who honestly seek to comply with the law often make inadvertent errors, causing them to either overpay their tax or become subject to IRS enforcement action for mistaken underpayments,” Olson said. “On the other hand, sophisticated taxpayers often find loopholes that enable them to reduce or eliminate their tax liabilities.”

Olson ranks complexity as the most serious tax problem facing taxpayers and the Internal Revenue Service in her annual report to Congress. She urges lawmakers to overhaul the nation’s tax laws, making them simpler, clearer and easier to comply with.

Momentum is building in Congress to overhaul the tax code for the first time since 1986. But Washington’s divided government has yet to show it can successfully tackle such a task.

President Barack Obama and Republican leaders in Congress say they are onboard, though they have rarely seen eye to eye on tax policy. They struggled mightily just to avoid the year-end fiscal cliff, passing a bill that makes relatively small changes in the nation’s tax laws.

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Undaunted, the top tax writer in the House says he is determined to pass reform legislation this year.

“This report confirms that the code is 10 times the size of the Bible with none of the good news,” said Rep. Dave Camp, chairman of the House and Ways and Means Committee. “Our broken tax code has become a nightmare of loopholes and special interest provisions that create added complexities and costs for hardworking taxpayers and small businesses.”

“Comprehensive tax reform will make sure everyone is playing by the same rules and help businesses create more jobs and invest in their workers,” Camp said.

The general formula for tax reform is widely embraced on Capitol Hill: Eliminate or reduce some tax credits, exemptions and deductions and use the additional revenue to pay for lower income tax rates for everyone. There is, however, no consensus on which tax breaks to scale back.

That’s because Americans like their credits, deductions and exemptions – the provisions that make the tax law so complicated in the first place. Would workers want to pay taxes on employer-provided health benefits or on contributions to their retirement plans? How would homeowners feel about losing the mortgage interest deduction?

Those are the three biggest tax breaks in the tax code, according to congressional estimates. Together, they are projected to save taxpayers nearly $450 billion this year.

In all, taxpayers will save about $1.1 trillion this year by taking advantage of tax breaks, according to the Joint Committee on Taxation, the official scorekeeper for Congress. That’s almost as much as individuals will pay in income taxes.

To avoid angering millions of constituents who rely on popular tax breaks, politicians prefer to endorse tax reform without getting into specifics. Instead, they say they want to reform the tax code by eliminating special interest “loopholes” that help only small but well-connected groups of taxpayers.

Obama has repeatedly said he wants to eliminate tax breaks for hedge fund managers and companies that buy corporate jets. Throughout the recent fiscal cliff debate, House Speaker John Boehner said he favored raising additional tax revenue by reducing unspecified tax loopholes rather than raising income tax rates.

Olson defines “loopholes” as tax breaks that benefit someone else. She warns that targeting only narrow provisions won’t raise enough revenue to significantly lower rates or make the law much simpler.

“That’s what we’ve been trying to say to taxpayers, that the special interests are us. It’s not just oil and gas or whatever you want to point your finger at,” Olson said. “That’s not where the money is.”

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Comments (37)

G-WHIZ
Posted on January 10, 2013 at 2:35pm
What is the difference between DEATH and TAXES? DEATH doesn’t get worse every time CONGRESS goes “In-Session”!!

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J Z
Posted on January 10, 2013 at 1:01am
Who’s trying to say that tax compliance IS NOT an industry?

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nzkiwi
Posted on January 9, 2013 at 8:08pm
test

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- nzkiwi
  Posted on January 9, 2013 at 8:19pm
  That’s really weird.
  
  I have tried to post a comment on taxation but it won’t go through. A perfectly ordinary comment.
  
  Hmmm…
  
  Report this comment
- The-Monk
  Posted on January 9, 2013 at 8:33pm
  Hi NZkiwi,
  
  I think I know what the issue is. Want some help?
  
  Report this comment
- nzkiwi
  Posted on January 9, 2013 at 8:42pm
  Hi Monk
  
  Yes I do, and yes also to your other question. I’m having a few problems at this end. For example, I can receive email but can’t send. It’s all very frustrating. Time to clean this piece of crap up (my computer), I guess…
  
  Report this comment
denkat56
Posted on January 9, 2013 at 7:36pm
Does anyone see something wrong with fact that the tax code is over 1500 pages long. Obama wants everybody to pay more, that’ll add another 1000 pages. Maybe if we just pay a flat rate of 10% to the feds and 5% to the state. You could really shorten the tax codes. And put a lot of people on unemployment, that’ll keep them paid for about 4 years. By then our lord and savior and dictator we’ll have us all on welfare. Misery sure likes company.

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noslave
Posted on January 9, 2013 at 7:35pm
obamas new tax reform?short and sweet?how much did ya make??send it in we needs it.

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tckid17
Posted on January 9, 2013 at 6:29pm
Money you maketh, the IRS taketh.

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progressiveslayer
Posted on January 9, 2013 at 6:25pm
There’s a method to the madness of the tax code,the lawbreakers purposely made it complicated to pit one group of people against the other. You’re not paying your fair share can be used as a tool and we see it constantly from Barry,he loves to spew his class warfare rhetoric to advance his agenda. I’ve said it before and it’s worth repeating,the federal government has no authority to tax our income since the 16th amendment wasn’t properly ratified. If the scotus would learn to follow the constitution they could remedy the problem,ruling the 16th amendment is unconstitutional for the above reason.

If that miracle ever happened the lawbreakers would quickly institute an income tax to fix the problem.

http://thelawthatneverwas.com/

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- taxpro4u03
  Posted on January 9, 2013 at 10:15pm
  You ‘may’ be correct about it being unconstitutional, tho not for the ‘strawman’ argument that the courts have stricken down for YEARS (plenty of statutory case law to ‘substantiate’ their claims) — lQQk DEEPER — (further BACK in history) –. Many tax ATTORNEYS are corn-fused as well…. Anyone can re-write ‘hiSTORY’ — but the facts remain the facts. :-) LISTEN (in their own words) what the SCOTUS judges have sed thru the years (from 1913 thru today) – not for what ‘is’ sed so much as what is NOT sed – Tax avoidance is not tax evasion – BIG difference — There is no ‘patriotic DUTY’ to pay more than the LAW demands…if an American citizen’s ‘fair share’ is ZERO, and one is in FULL compliance with the LAW –what’s the buzz?
  
  Report this comment
noslave
Posted on January 9, 2013 at 5:52pm
what would be beautiful?if everybody forgot to file their income tax?like geitner,rangell,and others that seem to get away with it?? especially when the arrogant one says he’ll go around congress on the debt ceiling/spending cuts??he gets no money and his dependant mutts will eat them alive??their used to freebies??no money no mo freebies??WHAT COULD THE ARROGANT BASTARD DO??arrest millions??he cant do 12 million illegals?gonna give them back door amnisty?and they arnt even legal american citizens?

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- lordjosh
  Posted on January 9, 2013 at 6:12pm
  Just so everone knows, as this article clearly states, the only people required to pay taxes are “taxpayers”. Wake the f up people. Hmm has any one created this text shorthand yet? WTFUP
  
  Report this comment
MiCurmudgeon
Posted on January 9, 2013 at 5:48pm
Pythagorean theorem: ………………………………………24 words.

Lord’s prayer:…………………………………………………66 words.

Archimedes’ Principle: ………………………………………67 words.

10 Commandments: ………………………………………..179 words

Gettysburg address: ……………………………………….286 words.

Declaration of Independence : …………………………1,300 words

US Constitution with 27 Amendments : ……………. 7,818 words.

US Government regulations on sale of cabbage: 26,911 words

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- tckid17
  Posted on January 9, 2013 at 6:31pm
  Priceless, for everything else there is Mastercard.
  
  Report this comment
woodyee
Posted on January 9, 2013 at 5:19pm
To think, Leftwing libs and their troll acolytes put more faith in Government than in the Ten Commandments, but doesn’t this title say it all –

U.S. Tax Code Longer Than the Bible — [WITHOUT] Good News

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- ModerationIsBest
  Posted on January 9, 2013 at 5:34pm
  Wait, there’s good news in the Bible?
  
  All I see the Bible saying is that if you don’t agree with every word in it you’re going to suffer an eternity of punishment on an alternate plane of existence.
  
  Report this comment
- M13
  Posted on January 9, 2013 at 5:43pm
  Moderation you are right that religion of global warming is a scam, since the Grand Pope Al Gore sold out to a bunch of oil producers. Now what are you going to do?
  
  Report this comment
- ModerationIsBest
  Posted on January 9, 2013 at 5:52pm
  @M13
  
  Did I mention Al Gore, or global warming anywhere in my post? What are you rambling about?
  
  Report this comment
- mcsledge
  Posted on January 9, 2013 at 5:56pm
  ModerationIsBest – then do what it says and you have nothing to worry about.
  
  Be ‘PC’ and you will surely be damned.
  
  Report this comment
- brother_ed
  Posted on January 9, 2013 at 6:12pm
  @MODERATIONISBEST
  
  Your a good man…I wouldn’t worry too much about it.
  
  When I read the Bible, all I see is “Do your best to.”
  
  In my humble opinion, that’s what I see you doing; keep up the good work.
  
  The ‘good news’ is, of course, Jesus paid for your sins, so you won’t have to!
  
  Report this comment
- brother_ed
  Posted on January 9, 2013 at 6:20pm
  *”Do your best”
  
  Report this comment
- brother_ed
  Posted on January 9, 2013 at 6:23pm
  *”Do your best.”
  
  Report this comment
WhiteFang
Posted on January 9, 2013 at 5:16pm
What if every wage earner paid 20% of their income to the IRS?

No additions, no deductions. Just 20%.

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- Anonymous T. Irrelevant
  Posted on January 9, 2013 at 5:24pm
  Wage-earner, hell, what if EVERYONE living in the US did?
  
  Report this comment
- soybomb315_II
  Posted on January 9, 2013 at 5:35pm
  yea flat tax would be very very nice
  
  Report this comment
- lordjosh
  Posted on January 9, 2013 at 6:10pm
  King George didn’t even try to tax income on the colonist. We declared our independence and went to war with the king for less than the scams our government is engaged in now. My labor is not for the taking by anyone so take your 20% and shove it, slave.
  
  Report this comment
banjarmon
Posted on January 9, 2013 at 5:13pm
Make a check in the amount of 5% of your total wages earned to yourself…SEND the REST to the IRS!!!

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- Anonymous T. Irrelevant
  Posted on January 9, 2013 at 5:26pm
  “Should 5% appear too small. Be thankful I don’t take it all!”
  Taxman-George Harrison
  
  Report this comment
The Third Archon
Posted on January 9, 2013 at 5:12pm
“U.S. TAX CODE LONGER THAN THE BIBLE — WITHOUT GOOD NEWS”
Of COURSE it’s longer than the bible–it’s a CODE; the Bible is an anthology of random myths, and it’s not really THAT long; singular authors have written monographs JUST as long, and some longer, than the bible.

Also, what “good news” are you referring to, exactly? The news that the universe was created and run by, assuming arguendo the bible is a factually accurate depiction of God and God’s nature and interaction with humans, a monstrous capricious tyrant, who created a special place of eternal torture and agony for you if you don’t submit to blind obedience on faith alone, and bow and scrape before him for all eternity? And that’s good news…how exactly? Really, it’s hard to imagine a MORE horrifying thing possibly being true than the Christian metaphysics. At least in Hinduism and Buddhism you have variety and move up or down in incarnations of lifeforms on the basis of what kind of MORAL actions you take–and not credulous and cringing servility to a murderous petulant bully of a deity.

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- Eastinfection
  Posted on January 9, 2013 at 5:25pm
  THIRD…
  
  The word “Gospel” literally translates to “Good News”.
  
  Report this comment
- The Third Archon
  Posted on January 9, 2013 at 5:49pm
  CALLING it “good news” doesn’t MAKE it good news–so what’s your point?
  
  Report this comment
- Eastinfection
  Posted on January 9, 2013 at 7:07pm
  Not trying to convince you that the News is Good. I’m not an Evangelist.
  Just explaining why it’s called “Good News”. It’s just a title. Some agree that it’s an apt title, some don’t.
  
  Why is ObamaCare called The “Affordable” HealthCare Act? Same difference.
  It’s just a title. Some agree that it’s apt- some don’t.
  
  Report this comment
thegreatcarnac
Posted on January 9, 2013 at 5:07pm
The tax code is a travesty. It is a travesty by design. The powers that be want an excuse to arrest you anytime they wish. They can do this by claiming you are a tax-cheat. There is no way lawyers know all of the tax code , much less the regular public. There is always part of it you have inadvertently missed and therefore you are probably out of compliance somehow, somewhere. The government needs revamping and reducing. The tax code would be a good place to start.

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Eastinfection
Posted on January 9, 2013 at 5:03pm
9….9…..9…… anyone?

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- The-Monk
  Posted on January 9, 2013 at 5:28pm
  Hi East,
  
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qG9dwsIyMWY
  
  Report this comment
- soybomb315_II
  Posted on January 9, 2013 at 5:40pm
  how about 10…..0……0
  
  Report this comment

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