Everyone who gets a migraine by filling your Federal tax return, raises his hand!

Did you know that all rules and regulations relating to the IRS tax code fills sixty meters of shelf space book? Yes it is true. This gives us an idea immediately by presenting a Federal tax return is not simple. Tax preparation Software is supposed to solve this problem, but is not foolproof. You should misinterpret a question and provide the wrong answer, you'll hear about it from IRS only when you're expecting this envelope to contain your cheque refund or stimulus. This can be an infuriating, not to mention the disappointing experience.

Many years ago, former Governor Jerry Brown made a bid for the Presidency. One of their innovative ideas was to make tax filing easier, using a straight percentage of 10% of their income, no matter what you were, regardless of income level. This sounds like a great idea, but it never materialized.

With years of experience working as an accountant, you'd think I would have no problem wading through the infamous 1040 tax booklet. Although the IRS provides a time needed to prepare each section estimated, they must be dreaming or its estimate assumes that you are using the software. Maybe I'm very careful. There are just too many potential pitfalls, so I read the booklet, usually three times, so that when my Federal tax return is expelled, I believe with all my heart is right. It is funny that the old adage, "close enough for Government work" does not apply to your Federal tax return.

The reason I read the booklet instead of relying on software, is that any small detail may explode the whole effort. It is always best to be careful, right? Well, a serious flaw in the booklet is not written in simple English. He is full of jargon, IRS, double negatives, and so forth. Also not presented sequentially, probably because the sixty feet of shelf space. You're shuttled from one worksheet to another and then back to the starting point. At the time you made all calculations, your head is throbbing and you have no idea what represents the Figure in this line of Federal tax return! It is unwise to decide who needs a break, because when you come back to it, you no longer know what the hell they're talking about. Would not have been Charlie Brown, who delivered famous "aaaaargh!"

Death and taxes. Both are inevitable. However, wouldn't it be nice if our Government decided to take pity on poor taxpayers and deliver a brochure in English simple and short form. Here is your income line, then the amount of the deduction and a flat tax rate. This is my idea of a Federal tax return. What about you? Maybe if our representatives in Congress and Senados were inundated with requests for taxpayer to a kinder, gentler tax system, would hear. We can only hope.