Re: [MLUG - DISCUSSION] Flat Tax

[Dave Lloyd <EMAIL:PROTECTED>]

On Thu, 4 Jan 2007, Christian M. Cepel wrote:

> Why the hell should you have to do that?  There's absolutely no reason except
> for our convoluted and bastardized tax code.   Why should the burden be on
> you.   Plus we are still rather poor college students and it's just stupid for
> us to spend half our refund on getting a refund..... People seem to forget
> that this is OUR money that the government has taken too much of.  It's not a
> refund.. It's not a refund at all.  That implies that you paid the proper
> price for something and something was returned to you for whatever reason.
> No.. it's money that was stolen by our government and then they force you to
> pay someone or tear your hair out to prove to them that they stole it and
> return it to you.  It's not a refund, it's the criminal being forced to return
> what he stole and then you being forced to pay the court costs and lawyer's
> fees.
> 
> Why the hell should you need plausible deniablity?  If they weren't doing
> random audits and there wasn't such huge gray areas and exploits, there would
> be no need for plausible deniability.
> 
> People seem to think they are making a good investment by paying to get the
> largest tax return or paying to have to pay the least amount possible.  That's
> rubbish.  This should all be simple, 100% flat, and automatically accounted
> for.  There's no reason for each citizen in this country who is abiding by
> it's laws to send in a form once a year to be processed at great expense and
> postage and checks cut and sent at great postage expense, and an entire small
> nation of squinty-eyed people to try to catch you making mistakes or
> defrauding the government.
> 
> Tell me that that $250 couldn't be better spent in your life.  Tell me how
> many hours you have to work to earn that $250.  And don't for a second try to
> justify it with the argument that it pays for itself in a larger return.  That
> argument is false.  The stolen money belongs to you anyways.. You shouldn't
> have to pay to get it back and tear your hair out trying.

If I value my time at about $50/hour, I imagine that spending the same
amount of time on this argument that you have would have cost me my
accountant's wages by now.  I just choose to pick my battles and I find
that I'm far happier now that I've learned how to do that.

--dlloyd

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