5/3     If IRS has all the legal access it needs to verify whether or not
        people cheat on their tax return, why doesn't it eliminate the tax
        return and simply calculate the tax amount for everyone?  Sure it'll
        need a lot more computer and maybe human power, but the extra tax
        dollars that it otherwise won't collect will probably more than cover
        the cost.
        \_ Do you *really* want the IRS figuring your tax for you? --dim
        \_ Because you aren't required to pay taxes, only file a correct
           return, what dim said x10000, and also there's a zillion different
           life style deductions that they may not be aware of.
           \_ which of course is a problem in itself. They need to wipe
              the slate and have no deductions. Deductions don't help anyone,
              for ex. mortgage deductions just make the prices of houses go
              up by that much. Ok maybe they help e.g. Enron and rich fuckers.
              \_ Of course deductions help.  If you had any clue about tax law
                 you'd know that mortgage deduction phase out as you make more
                 money.  Higher income people (like me and I'm just some slob
                 posting on the motd from work) don't get most of the mortgage
                 deduction and people making only slightly more get none.  So
                 the next time you want to go bash the rich please at least
                 have some tiny shred of clue what you're babbling about.
                 \_ Mortgage deductions don't phase out. They aren't phased
                    out for me and I'm "rich." Anyway my point was that if
                    we all get mortgage deductions, it just makes more demand
                    at a given price point therefore net result is that
                    we're just the same only houses cost more. If there
                    was no deduction we'd have the same purchasing power.
                 \_ That is crap. You need a better tax advisor. Income
                    has nothing to do with mortgage deduction. There is
                    a 1M mortgage cap, but it does not phase out. You get
                    all of the interest deduction on your 1M loan no matter
                    how much you make.
           \- well you know there are laws about smoke detectors ... so why
           doesnt the govt just install all smoke detectors. obviously it
           should be up to you how much "optimizing" to do on your tax return.
           if you read the tax booklet you will notice there is an option
           to have the irs compute you tax for you. however, they are almost
           certainly just going to add up you incomes an subtract the std
           deduction and then figure out the number. --psb