Comment: Q1 - If you can reach the IRS when you need them, they are little or no help at all. Once I spent a hour with a IRS rep. trying to determined if my child was a dependent, after all of that I gave up and did what I wanted to. I resent that I have to spend money to complete my returns, the threats the IRS make over errors I might make and the blind justice the IRS feels it can invoke without going through the justice system. Marcy Kaptur once said "the IRS is an entity upon themselves, we don't know how it works". I am tied of being fed bull from Senators and Congress, the American public know that the senate and congress are the ones driving the IRS. Connie Mack should not act surprised, our elected officials have spent 50 years screwing up the tax system. Q2 - We have two incomes and four kids, due to a hardship 401K withdrawal in 2004 I lost out on five ded. Even without the one time hit, I would have missed some ded. and reduced credit because the rules say we are wealthy we earn over $130K. Just the other day I itemized all the taxes we pay in a year from Federal, State, City, Property, vehicle and gas tax, sales tax, phone tax, hotel tax, etc. My wife's whole salary is used to pay all of these taxes. When you look at it like that we live off a whole lot less than $130K a year. I can not stay calm enough to begin to tell you what is fair and what is not. You want unfair, look at the two leaders of the US who did not pay Alternate Minimum Tax in 2004, yes and because of this tax I did not estimate enough payments last year and now I have the privilege of paying a penalty. Q3 - I have worked in accounting and finance for very large corporations for over 24 years many of which are foreign companies. It would make you sick to see the tricks that these companies pull to avoid and in some cases cheat their was out of paying taxes. But hey, the IRS wants to hit ever America with nickel and dimes and just let the large companies alone. Q4 - Don't change it, adopt a new tax system. A flat tax or a VAT(use) system which I experienced in Mexico would be a lot better than what we have. But I am sure our government is incapable of change so the only fair thing to do is go back to basics. Stop the double taxation. I believe most people would give up some ded. and credits if we could ded SS tax and Medicare tax. I will never see any benefit from SS but I have paid in over $76K plus I am now hitting the max each year for the rest of my career. And once again quoting Marcy Kaptur, "SS is a social program not an individual retirement plan". If that is the way government is looking at SS then it is just another part of our taxes paying for something the government wants to spend our money on. Personal - I am extremely angry at the lying, cheating, manipulating and over taxation our government has created. I am teaching my children to manipulate the system just like our government manipulates us. For years I have seen many neighbors earn great sums of money with side business which they did not claim and I don't blame them. Our government has had many years to come up with a fair and manageable tax system. I am considering all types of tactics while earning and spending my dollars even if I have to give up citizenship and move to other countries. I am also angry by the way my tax dollars are spent. I pay a lot of taxes but my kids don't qualify for scholarships or my tax dollars the colleges are giving away to all the poor people or how my taxes go to cover all of the EIC poor people, etc. Even with my kids in public schools, I pay hundreds of dollars each year directly to the schools but at the poor schools they get free lunches, free uniforms, free supplies, more government support and welfare and who's taxes are paying for that? Why am I paying for everyone else? God did not put me on this earth and say you worked hard but now you have to pay for others but the US government is forcing me to! Matthew Sloan Phone 734-246-2058 |