Complicated Tax Code Contributes to Challenging Tax Season

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3 years ago

Former IRS Commissioner, Douglas Shulman, told C-SPAN in an interview back in 2010 that he does not prepare his own taxes; instead, he hires a preparer. You’d think, as the then-current IRS Commissioner, he would prepare his taxes himself just to see what other taxpayers experience, but he admitted he can’t. “It’s just too complicated,” Commissioner Shulman said. “The tax code is 14,000 pages long.” The man who oversaw the IRS from 2008 – 2012 couldn’t comprehend the tax code. That’s like saying the head of the FBI doesn’t know what’s illegal.

Since this interview in 2010, the tax code has only gotten more complicated. In addition, the IRS has steadily suffered setbacks, including government budget cuts, a decrease in staff size, and a reduction in training for its remaining employees. Combine this with new Obamacare reporting requirements, and the 2015 tax season is shaping up to be one of the worst in recent history.

It may make sense to take a page out of the Former Commissioner’s book and hire someone to prepare your taxes.

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