Author Topic: IRL mechanical writing: tax law and education of minors.  (Read 3996 times)

Offline Nytemare3701

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I find it very strange that we drop our youth directly into "you have to do this possibly very complicated thing perfectly or you are a criminal" when they hit 18 and have to start filing taxes.

Why not make tax forms a penalty free process for minors? Give them a chance to learn the system and send them back graded forms with the tax return notice. Totally optional of course (because mah freedoms!), but I imagine it would prevent a huge amount of tax form fuck ups on year one along with the associated "let's scare the shit out of a kid just trying to navigate the bureaucracy".

Offline linklord231

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Re: IRL mechanical writing: tax law and education of minors.
« Reply #1 on: May 23, 2016, 02:06:13 AM »
To be fair, usually your first couple of tax filings really are freebies.  Chances are, you can file a 1040EZ online, and if you go through a software program it walks you through the whole thing.  Put in the information from your W-2 (which most major companies allow you to import directly into your tax software of choice), click "no" on all the questions about whether you bought a house or got married or have any offshore bank accounts, and at the end of it you get a couple hundred bucks back. 
I'm not arguing, I'm explaining why I'm right.

Offline Nytemare3701

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Re: IRL mechanical writing: tax law and education of minors.
« Reply #2 on: May 23, 2016, 05:24:13 AM »
That's great and all, but you have to know those things in the first place. I didn't have any problems with it when I started doing mine years ago, but it seems very strange that we can have a legal obligation to do something and have no required education on how to do that thing.

Offline littha

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Re: IRL mechanical writing: tax law and education of minors.
« Reply #3 on: May 23, 2016, 05:37:35 AM »
That's great and all, but you have to know those things in the first place. I didn't have any problems with it when I started doing mine years ago, but it seems very strange that we can have a legal obligation to do something and have no required education on how to do that thing.

The US Tax system confuses me to no end, I have never seen the necessety of tax returns (we dont have them here unless you are self employed or are selling stocks). The general populace doesn't fill in a tax return because their taxes are calculated and applied by their employer before they recieve their wages.

It must be very expensive to process all of those tax returns every year...

Offline altpersona

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Re: IRL mechanical writing: tax law and education of minors.
« Reply #4 on: May 23, 2016, 09:05:52 AM »
i suspect that most people who file 1040EZ via a franchise company are overpaying their taxes.

the tax code compares pretty well w/ 3e :p, the ez version is pretty straight forward... then you get to the pun pun tier.

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Offline Nanshork

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Re: IRL mechanical writing: tax law and education of minors.
« Reply #5 on: May 23, 2016, 12:57:50 PM »
I've always filed my taxes online through a tax filing website.

Also, the assumption is that like most parts of being an adult parents will teach their children about taxes.

Offline Nytemare3701

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Re: IRL mechanical writing: tax law and education of minors.
« Reply #6 on: May 23, 2016, 05:39:47 PM »
I've always filed my taxes online through a tax filing website.

Also, the assumption is that like most parts of being an adult parents will teach their children about taxes.

Who taught them? I don't like the idea of the only thing between citizen and criminal being parental guidance. We KNOW you can't steal or murder because they are ingrained into our culture as criminal acts. Not filing a particular piece of paper you don't even know exists though...

Offline Nanshork

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Re: IRL mechanical writing: tax law and education of minors.
« Reply #7 on: May 23, 2016, 05:42:53 PM »
I've always filed my taxes online through a tax filing website.

Also, the assumption is that like most parts of being an adult parents will teach their children about taxes.

Who taught them? I don't like the idea of the only thing between citizen and criminal being parental guidance. We KNOW you can't steal or murder because they are ingrained into our culture as criminal acts. Not filing a particular piece of paper you don't even know exists though...

I have never met anyone who didn't know that filing taxes is a thing that you do.  IMO filing taxes is ingrained into our (American) culture, there's commercials for it all over the place and sign spinners during tax season, etc.

Offline altpersona

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Re: IRL mechanical writing: tax law and education of minors.
« Reply #8 on: May 23, 2016, 06:06:21 PM »
are you currently doing your taxes (late if US) or just a 'Shower Thought'?
The goal of power is power. - 1984
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Offline Nytemare3701

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Re: IRL mechanical writing: tax law and education of minors.
« Reply #9 on: May 24, 2016, 03:19:49 AM »
Came up BECAUSE I was talking to minors who had a vague awareness that taxes were a thing, but no idea what to do with them. Turns out there are still non-googlers out there.