Here’s a new Economics 101 video about the cost of the tax code from the Center for Freedom and Prosperity. I won’t spoil the surprise by giving the details, but you if you’re not angry now, you will be after watching.
New Video Exposes Nightmare of IRS Complexity
April 12, 2010 by Dan Mitchell
Posted in Big Government, Bureaucracy, Center for Freedom and Prosperity, Corruption, Flat Tax, Government Thuggery, Income tax, IRS, Sleaze, Taxation, Taxpayer Ripoff, Uncategorized, Video | Tagged Compliance Cost, Corruption, Hiwa, Hiwa Alaghebandian, Income tax, Internal Revenue Code, Internal Revenue Service, IRS, Paperwork, Red Tape, Tax complexity | 80 Comments
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[…] it is tax-filing season and we all want to honor our wonderful tax system, let’sgo into the archives and show this video from last year about the onerous compliance costs of the internal revenue […]
[…] blame. In this Center for Freedom and Prosperity video, a former intern of mine (continuing a great tradition) explains that politicians destroyed jobs when they increased the minimum wage by more than 40 […]
[…] University and a former Cato Institute intern. If this video is anywhere near as successful as the other video narrated by a former Cato intern, perhaps this will become a new […]
[…] University and a former Cato Institute intern. If this video is anywhere near as successful as the other video narrated by a former Cato intern, perhaps this will become a new […]
[…] here to read comments about this […]
Yes, let’s simplify it for Pete’s sake!
[…] that can overwhelm even the most well-intentioned taxpayer. Just spend a couple of minutes watching this video if you don’t believe […]
[…] it is tax-filing season and we all want to honor our wonderful tax system, let’sgo into the archives and show this video from last year about the onerous compliance costs of the internal revenue […]
[…] here to read comments about this video. PAYING tax always hurts. But America’s tax code seems designed […]
[…] here to read comments about this video. PAYING tax always hurts. But America’s tax code seems designed […]
[…] that’s not surprising. Mr. Shulman oversees a bureaucracy with about 100,000 employees (bigger than the FBI, CIA, and DEA combined), and they obviously wouldn’t want the type of […]
[…] that’s not surprising. Mr. Shulman oversees a bureaucracy with about 100,000 employees (bigger than the FBI, CIA, and DEA combined), and they obviously wouldn’t want the type of […]
[…] it is tax-filing season and we all want to honor our wonderful tax system, let’sgo into the archives and show this video from last year about the onerous compliance costs of the internal revenue […]
[…] the blame. In this Center for Freedom and Prosperity video, a former intern of mine (continuing a great tradition) explains that politicians destroyed jobs when they increased the minimum wage by more than 40 […]
[…] may recognize Hiwa. She narrated a very popular video earlier this year on the nightmare of income-tax complexity. Daniel J. Mitchell • November 29, 2010 @ 10:56 am GA_googleAddAttr("AdOpt", "1"); […]
[…] Hiwa also narrated this video on IRS complexity. […]
[…] may recognize Hiwa. She narrated a very popular video earlier this year on the nightmare of income-tax complexity. Daniel J. Mitchell • November 29, 2010 @ 10:56 am LD_AddCustomAttr("AdOpt", "1"); […]
[…] here to read comments about this […]
[…] it is tax-filing season and we all want to honor our wonderful tax system, let’s go into the archives and show this video from last year about the onerous compliance costs of the internal revenue […]
[…] may recognize Hiwa. She narrated a very popular video earlier this year on the nightmare of income-tax complexity. Daniel J. Mitchell • November 29, 2010 @ 10:56 am Like this:LikeBe the first to like this post. […]
[…] it is tax-filing season and we all want to honor our wonderful tax system, let’s go into the archives and show this video from last year about the onerous compliance costs of the internal revenue […]
[…] the blame. In this Center for Freedom and Prosperity video, a former intern of mine (continuing a great tradition) explains that politicians destroyed jobs when they increased the minimum wage by more than 40 […]
[…] you want to move from humor to real-world tragedy, watch this video on IRS complexity. LD_AddCustomAttr("AdOpt", "0"); LD_AddCustomAttr("Origin", "other"); […]
[…] University and a former Cato Institute intern. If this video is anywhere near as successful as the other video narrated by a former Cato intern, perhaps this will become a new tradition. That won’t be good for my video career, but I […]
[…] via Dan Mitchell […]
[…] it is tax-filing season and we all want to honor our wonderful tax system, let’s go into the archives and show this video from last year about the onerous compliance costs of the internal revenue […]
[…] it is tax-filing season and we all want to honor our wonderful tax system, let’s go into the archives and show this video from last year about the onerous compliance costs of the internal revenue […]
[…] it is tax-filing season and we all want to honor our wonderful tax system, let’s go into the archives and show this video from last year about the onerous compliance costs of the internal revenue […]
[…] it is tax-filing season and we all want to honor our wonderful tax system, let’s go into the archives and show this video from last year about the onerous compliance costs of the internal revenue […]
[…] it is tax-filing season and we all want to honor our wonderful tax system, let’s go into the archives and show this video from last year about the onerous compliance costs of the internal revenue […]
[…] it is tax-filing season and we all want to honor our wonderful tax system, let’s go into the archives and show this video from last year about the onerous compliance costs of the internal revenue […]
[…] it is tax-filing season and we all want to honor our wonderful tax system, let’s go into the archives and show this video from last year about the onerous compliance costs of the internal revenue […]
[…] 11, 2011 by Dan Mitchell I’m not a big fan of the IRS, but usually I blame politicians for America’s corrupt, unfair, and punitive tax system. […]
[…] not a big fan of the IRS, but usually I blame politicians for America’s corrupt, unfair, and punitive tax system. […]
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[…] not a big fan of the IRS, but usually I blame politicians for America’s corrupt, unfair, and punitive tax system. […]
[…] not a big fan of the IRS, but usually I blame politicians for America’s corrupt, unfair, and punitive tax system. […]
[…] not a big fan of the IRS, but usually I blame politicians for America’s corrupt, unfair, and punitive tax system. […]
[…] not a large fan of a IRS, yet customarily we censure politicians for America’s corrupt, unfair, and punitive taxation […]
[…] 11, 2011 by Dan Mitchell I’m not a big fan of the IRS, but usually I blame politicians for America’s corrupt, unfair, and punitive tax system. […]
jGWhGL Very true! Makes a change to see someone spell it out like that. 🙂
[…] approach would get rid of double taxation, so the economic benefits would be identical. But the compliance costs of taxing income at the corporate level (requiring a relatively small number of tax returns) are […]
[…] approach would get rid of double taxation, so the economic benefits would be identical. But the compliance costs of taxing income at the corporate level (requiring a relatively small number of tax returns) are […]
[…] but that money obviously is not being put to good use. The time has come to downsize the IRS. This video provides plenty of […]
[…] but that money obviously is not being put to good use. The time has come to downsize the IRS. This video provides plenty of […]
[…] but that money obviously is not being put to good use. The time has come to downsize the IRS. This video provides plenty of […]
Rural:
The 1861 tax was never held to be unconstitutional, and the 1862 tax wasn’t limited to the sin taxes but covered income as well. The 1864 version of the tax, which also taxed income, was held to be constitutional in Springer v. U.S., 102 U.S. 586 (1881), in which the Supreme Court held the tax to be in the nature of an excise or duty and rejected the argument that it was an unapportioned direct tax.
The sole reason the 16th Amendment was necessary was to overcome the 1895 Pollock decision, in which the Supreme Court in striking down the 1894 Tax Act held that a tax on investment income was a direct tax that had to be aportioned. Dicta in the decision indicated that a tax on personal earnings was perfectly valid, but the Court was unwilling to allow a severance of the unconstitutional portion of the Act.
Mertensv16: The 1861 tax act was on income and real property. It was ruled unconstitutional, because it failed the apportionment requirement. No income tax was ever collected under the 1861 act, and all real property tax was eventually returned.
Another act was passed in 1862, creating the Commisioner of Internal Revenue. It primarily taxed beer, liquor, and tobacco. The Feds kept trying to find a way to tax individual income, but kept running afoul of the Constitution’s Article I, Section 2, Clause 3 and Section 9, Clause 4.
The modern income tax is credited to the 1913 tax created after Constitutional amendment with the 16th Amendment allowed it to get around the apportionment issue.
So, it all hinges on what you mean by “created”.
The federal income tax was created in 1861, not 1913 as stated in the video.
[…] Internal Revenue Code is nightmarishly complex, as illustrated by this video. Americans spend more than 7 billion hours each year in a hopeless effort to figure out how to deal […]
[…] internal revenue code is nightmarishly complex, as illustrated by this video. Americans spend more than 7 billion hours each year in a hopeless effort to figure out how to deal […]
[…] internal revenue code is nightmarishly complex, as illustrated by this video. Americans spend more than 7 billion hours each year in a hopeless effort to figure out how to deal […]
A flat tax hits “reset”, but still leaves room for drift back to where we are today, and tax cheats still fly under the radar. The Fair Tax is a paradigm shift that gets the IRS off the backs of citizens, and forces tax cheats to pay.
[…] internal revenue code is nightmarishly complex, as illustrated by this video. Americans spend more than 7 billion hours each year in a hopeless effort to figure out how to deal […]
[…] Internal Revenue Code is nightmarishly complex, as illustrated by this video. Americans spend more than 7 billion hours each year in a hopeless effort to figure out how to deal […]
[…] internal revenue code is nightmarishly complex, as illustrated by this video. Americans spend more than 7 billion hours each year in a hopeless effort to figure out how to deal […]
[…] I try not to demonize the bureaucrats because politicians actually deserve most of the blame for America’s complex, unfair, and corrupt tax system. The IRS generally is in the unenviable position of simply trying to enforce very bad […]
[…] I try not to demonize the bureaucrats because politicians actually deserve most of the blame for America’s complex, unfair, and corrupt tax system. The IRS generally is in the unenviable position of simply trying to enforce very bad […]
[…] I try not to demonize the bureaucrats because politicians actually deserve most of the blame for America’s complex, unfair, and corrupt tax system. The IRS generally is in the unenviable position of simply trying to enforce very bad […]
[…] I try not to demonize the bureaucrats because politicians actually deserve most of the blame for America’s complex, unfair, and corrupt tax system. The IRS generally is in the unenviable position of simply trying to enforce very bad […]
[…] I try not to demonize the bureaucrats because politicians actually deserve most of the blame for America’s complex, unfair, and corrupt tax system. The IRS generally is in the unenviable position of simply trying to enforce very bad […]
[…] I try not to demonize the bureaucrats because politicians actually deserve most of the blame for America’s complex, unfair, and corrupt tax system. The IRS generally is in the unenviable position of simply trying to enforce very bad […]
[…] routinely make life hard for taxpayers. The IRS, for example, is a rather brutal bureaucracy, as explained in this video. But I’m not sure the IRS can match either of these two examples of reprehensible taxation. And […]
[…] routinely make life hard for taxpayers. The IRS, for example, is a rather brutal bureaucracy, as explained in this video. But I’m not sure the IRS can match either of these two examples of reprehensible taxation. […]
[…] inefficient decisions just for tax purposes. And simplification could have a profound impact on cleaning up the horrible mess at the IRS. Moreover, a plan that trades lower tax rates for fewer tax distortions would be a welcome change […]
[…] inefficient decisions just for tax purposes. And simplification could have a profound impact on cleaning up the horrible mess at the IRS. Moreover, a plan that trades lower tax rates for fewer tax distortions would be a welcome change […]
re: Janet’s comment — no Ms. Alaghebandian does not look like a bimbo; she looks (and sounds) like a intelligent, passionate advocate for less government and more freedom.
Rather than yet another stuffed shirt (not taking a swipe at ya Dan, honest!), we have a young, vibrant, and beautiful spokesperson engaging a new generation.
We can’t just sell the steak; to be successful, we have to sell the sizzle as well.
I hope to see many more video presentations from Ms. Alaghebandian.
Gordon.
[…] You may recognize Hiwa. She narrated a very popular video earlier this year on the nightmare of income-tax complexity. […]
[…] 21, 2010 by Dan Mitchell Our tax system in America is an absurd nightmare, but at least we have some ability to monitor what is happening. We can’t get too aggressive […]
[…] 21, 2010 by Dan Mitchell Our tax system in America is an absurd nightmare, but at least we have some ability to monitor what is happening. We can’t get too aggressive […]
[…] for Freedom and Prosperity video, a former intern of mine at the Cato Institute (continuing a great tradition) explains that politicians destroyed jobs when they increased the minimum wage by more than 40 […]
[…] for Freedom and Prosperity video, a former intern of mine at the Cato Institute (continuing a great tradition) explains that politicians destroyed jobs when they increased the minimum wage by more than 40 […]
[…] for Freedom and Prosperity video, a former intern of mine at the Cato Institute (continuing a great tradition) explains that politicians destroyed jobs when they increased the minimum wage by more than 40 […]
[…] University and a former Cato Institute intern. If this video is anywhere near as successful as the other video narrated by a former Cato intern, perhaps this will become a new tradition. That won’t be good for my video career, but I […]
[…] University and a former Cato Institute intern. If this video is anywhere near as successful as the other video narrated by a former Cato intern, perhaps this will become a new […]
[…] Economics 101 […]
This is exactly why so many Americans now want to scrap the IRS and the current tax systems and replace it all with the Fair Tax… Check it out and get the book at http://www.fairtax.org It’s fantastic and will put an end to the Polititians in Washington pitting Americans against each other with Class Warfare…
[…] (via Dan Mitchell) […]
Good message, but her outfit makes her look like a bimbo. Look like a professional!
I agree with her analysis,,, but please,,,FAIRTAX NOT FLAT TAX!