Taxes are broken.

[Big Rick Cook]

Got my W-2 for the three and a half months I worked last year, and somehow ended up with a return twice the size of the withheld amount. WTF.

I checked with my parents and they agreed that everything looked correct, so then I checked another place besides H&R to see if it was some kind of fluke, and ended up with the same.

I dunno. Taxes are totally broken if they give me back more money than they withheld.

[Caciss]

Re: Taxes are broken.

hmm, I dunno.

Last year I got like 1.3k back, so I'm pretty pumped for my tax return.

[Big Rick Cook]

Re: Taxes are broken.

I didn't mean to sound like I'm angry that I'm getting money back, or that I'm getting more than I gave in. I made almost a third of what I did in 2008 for 2009 because of the short amount of time I actually worked, and I'm getting back even more than any year previous.

There's just something wrong with that idea.

[Caciss]

Re: Taxes are broken.

liberals bro

[DK]

Re: Taxes are broken.

Meanwhile I get $200 back and owe the state 250 :V

[Perversion]

Re: Taxes are broken.

I know if you are using the W2 EZ, you get one standard deduction for yourself and subtract it from the amount you made. Sometimes, if you only worked very little, and no one else claimed you, not only do you get everything you paid during the year back (they overtaxed you), but you come out ahead, especially if you are claiming an EIC (Earned Income Credit), which you are able to do if you made under a certain amount (ie-living at "poverty level").

[Big Rick Cook]

Re: Taxes are broken.

Yep, that's what did it. I never qualified for EIC before because after a certain amount of money you have to have dependents, and the more you make the more dependents.

[Alzar]

Re: Taxes are broken.

I paid like 23k in taxes this year ARG

[Cutter De Blanc]

Re: Taxes are broken.

I don't think my W2's came in the mail yet.

I got 600 bucks last year.

I've worked less this year though.

[Kire]

Re: Taxes are broken.

just be glad you don't have property taxes.

"damn you kids get off my lawn!"

wait I have a condo no lawn lololololol

[Sampson]

Re: Taxes are broken.

The fact that the average middle class family has to hire an accountant or spend $50, 100+ on tax software is testament to the fact that the income tax in this country is ****ed.

The very idea of an income tax is stupid. Anytime you tax something, you are discouraging it. Why would you want to discourage people from working?

All taxing should be done on consumption via a national sales tax. The obvious problem with that is that the system would be regressive, but you could avoid that issue by placing a higher rate on luxury goods.

This would encourage people to work more, spend less and actually save their money which is great for the economy in the long term.

[John Mora]

Re: Taxes are broken.

Even with taxes the way they are, our national defecit is still climbing. If we put all our taxes into sales takes, you can guarantee that you'd be paying 100+% sales tax on items. Which would be BAD for our economy!

[Sampson]

Re: Taxes are broken.

Even with taxes the way they are, our national defecit is still climbing. If we put all our taxes into sales takes, you can guarantee that you'd be paying 100+% sales tax on items. Which would be BAD for our economy!

But you'd have more money in your pocket.

[Shard]

Re: Taxes are broken.

You'd also have to adopt a protectionist agenda against foreign goods to keep those sales taxes in domestic coffers. Then you'd have to wage an unending war against all the black markets that would develop when people try to circumvent the high tax rates via smuggling. In effect, you'd create an economy that operates like the illegal drug market does now.

[John Mora]

Re: Taxes are broken.

But you'd have more money in your pocket.

Not poor people like me that actually get money back from taxes!