Tax Reporting

As April 15 approaches I have my annual WTF moment.

I'm not even really sure what to say about the severity of crime the IRS is guilty of. We are a society built on information transfer. How much money we pay the government is important. How much money they pay us is important. Why is the process so difficult for normal people? Because the IRS hasn't made it easier, that would be ridiculous, to make it easy. So I'll just make my appeal directly to the IRS (feel free to copy and paste this into your own word doc and mail directly to them):

Dear IRS,

Most Americans are honest and hardworking people. Most Americans pay their taxes and depend on the refunds they receive and desperately hope they do not owe any money to you. Most Americans also have a high school education and got a C in math. They also probably weren't that good at following lengthy instructions or higher logic.

Why then, IRS, are you being such a bastard about this whole tax reporting thing? My boss has a Ph.d and an M.S., both from MIT, and about 30 patents to his name. He can't figure it either. How many fields of information are really necessary and what do they all mean to ME anyway? As a citizen I have this overwhelming feeling I'm being ripped off by you, by the system, just because I don't know what I don't know. Please, remove the barriers and help me feel like it's not my fault for not being able to figure it out.

I'm thinking you guys should hook up with the Hertz #1 Club Gold guys. They made the process of renting a car virtually painless. Remember what a pain in the ass that used to be? Well, I really think they could help you all with this hierarchy of information dysfunction you guys have. I mean, you know EVERYONE hates you right? Yeah, I hate to be the one to tell you but EVERYONE just isn't that into you.

How can we fix this? Did you know that I've finally resorted to hiring a whole other person, who I am admitting is way smarter than me, to deal with all your baggage with the forms and all? Yeah, I have to pay someone else so I don't have to pay you. And the funny thing is that if you just made it easier for me, the good guy, to fill out your papers, I wouldn't hate you so much. I'd do it on time even. You'd see compliance across the country go up. I bet you'd even get some christmas cards. Think about it.