The IRS touches the lives of just about every citizen, regardless of age and income level. Even those with no income-tax liabilities must file tax returns to get their refunds and claim the EITC and other benefits.
For decades, the agency has been victimized by “mission creep”, asked to do more and more work unrelated to its core mission of tax administration and enforcement.
The endless stream of new laws and administrative decisions has put greater burdens on both citizens and the IRS.
Never mind the Byzantine tax code itself. The scope and complexity of the IRS’s administrative systems, with which the average person is expected to interact, are so vast and intertwined that it is unreasonable to expect people to understand and use system.
Average citizens generally have no clue where they are in the tax-filing process, and the tax pros they hire are often not much better off.
For decades, the agency has been victimized by “mission creep”, asked to do more and more work unrelated to its core mission of tax administration and enforcement.
The endless stream of new laws and administrative decisions has put greater burdens on both citizens and the IRS.
Never mind the Byzantine tax code itself. The scope and complexity of the IRS’s administrative systems, with which the average person is expected to interact, are so vast and intertwined that it is unreasonable to expect people to understand and use system.
Average citizens generally have no clue where they are in the tax-filing process, and the tax pros they hire are often not much better off.
The system has reached a dangerous level of complexity that neither taxpayers nor the agency itself are properly equipped to handle. It is now in danger of collapsing under its own weight.
All that’s left to be determined is how much damage such a collapse would inflict on hundreds of millions of honest Americans.