The doom and gloom machine is at it again. Today I read that Americans may have to wait awhile, maybe a long while if they are one of the unlucky few to have some sort of filing glitch this tax season. The reason is the same reason that we have been hearing about for the last four years. It is all about budget cuts and being short handed at the IRS. Didn't the IRS do all sorts of hiring the last two years to prepare for Obamacare? So is what the IRS is really saying is that they have people that are not really ready to handle the task at hand? If you are due a refund are you wishing that you had not had so much with held from your pay? Are you considering making changes this year in your with holdings so you have more on hand money? If you owe are you afraid this could be one terrible nightmare this year?
Well, I think we are used to wait for tax refunds. As long as they come indeed I am not complaining even if I don't understand why they need to take our money just to return it later...
Stories like this make me thankful for the Pay As You Earn system in the UK, where our taxes are paid directly to the Inland Revenue by our employers. Only the self-employed need to complete a tax return here.
Any excuse that they can use to hold on to our money just a little bit longer right? I have to say though that last year our refund came back faster than ever. I don't have a bank account for direct deposit this year though, so who knows how long it will take.
The funny thing is that they will have the time to follow you if do not pay your taxes on time. They will be short staffed or have another issue if they are supposed to give money rightful yours back to you. The problem with a large organization is that you cannot pick one person in the organization to be responsible for an issue.
The IRS should be abolished. Theres no reason the collection of taxes should be such a stressful and sometimes terrifying ordeal. The IRS is a very powerful agency and that shouldnt be the case.