A reader in New York state writes:
1) I have my taxes done by a preparer, and the experience feels like nothing so much as going to a casino. You sit down at a table, pass cards (W-2s) back and forth, and then the dealer (the preparer) tells you whether you’ve won (refund) or lost (owe a payment). There are strategies you can use to improve your odds of winning (keeping track of deductions, IRAs), but mostly it seems like luck. It’s demoralizing. I block out the experience as quickly as possible. Maybe this is why people care more about how their tax dollars are spent than how much they are taxed — the process is so complex it’s hopeless to try and understand.
2) Just how do people learn to do their taxes? I suppose most people learn from their families and from experience. I’ve been going to a preparer for a few years (which can be expensive), but before that I made a lot of costly mistakes. There ought to be a more formal, organized way for people in their 20s to learn how to approach taxes.
1 response so far
1 Oneon1isto // Apr 17, 2009 at 10:03 am
Try using Tax Cut by HR Block. It’s really not rocket science. While the tax code is long, its (generally) pretty understandable.
All the software programs take you through the process, with tips, etc. in a very incremental and understandable manner.
Don’t most things feel like roulette when you sit down, toss a bunch of information at someone and see what comes out?
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