Lots of press about the audit of the middle class has prompted me to question - who should we allow to cheat?

If I cheat on my taxes, or hide money from taxation, am I also not cheating you by causing your taxes to increase?

Shouldn’t we all play by the same rules?

Define cheating?

If you mean using every applicable tax deduction as per the tax code then it's not cheating. It's playing by the rules.

If it is not reporting taxable income then that's still not cheating, it's a crime.

But, seriously I'd love to hear your definition.

Heck I apparently cheated and didn’t know I cheated cause I paid a reputable accountant to do my taxes! She died and everyone she did taxes for got audited for the next three years following her death. What’s even worse is she retired several years before she died so it was like 7 years before we got audited for those years. We sent in everything we had and what she had submitted and they came up with something where we still owed money. All our tax money goes in the safe so we had it to pay some back.

I don't think anyone should pay a dime in taxes untill the government passes a budget and sticks to it. One thart reduces our debt. Tell then they are not doing their job responsibility and we don't have a duty to wright blank checks to everyone in the world.

If we had a flat sales tax, no one could cheat.

Man oh man, if I could get tax free like we did in the military I’d be set!!

Yes, that's why it was a crime to weaponize the IRS to specifically target conservatives. And don't claim it didn't happen.

After doing taxes for 35 years for several dozen filers per year it was and is amazing what people do or try to do. I did have a couple that I helped prepare and they were audited and they omitted income that I was not told about. The amount was not huge but the fines, interest and penalties add up quickly. We probably never would need to raise income tax brackets if all the reportable income was claimed.
I do agree however that increasing our tax revenue and not being willing to control our spending keeps us in the same ball game. IRS is pretty decent and even helpful for those that have neglagence type issues or file incorrectly etc. If they find deliberate fraud things get pretty hairy and they have been granted a lot of ability to collect what they find to be the correct tax payment.

Bryce

I've seen somewhere that when the Quantum Financial System is put into place next year there possibly will be no more income tax, property tax, & just a flat fed tax of 15 or 17%. This would eliminate the IRS.

I don't mind paying taxes if it is used for non union services, emergency services and maintaining infrastructure.

I do mind paying taxes if it is used to buy votes (SSI, EBT, Unions, pet projects to nowhere, etc)

But to come after me on a side hustle, say trapping beaver, selling vegetables, fixing tools, seems greedy by the feds considering they are stupid enough to raise taxes to fight inflation. That's like taking out a loan to prevent bankruptcy.

Just read where any income on a pay service over $600 will now trigger the IRS to issue a 1099-k.

Cash only guys. While you can.

if you want to cheat on your taxes-go ahead.
Just dont whine and cry when you get caught.

Cheating on taxes is the same as poaching or drunk driving.You will get away with it for a while,but eventually you will get nailed.
Then you will pay the piper in Spades.

No one.

I wonder if Hunter Bidet gets audited.......
No, auditing is selective and only conservatives get audited.

No one should cheat.

Taxes are theft, plain and simple.
Change my mind.

Tax structure needs to change. Spending by government needs reined in. Big R and Big D both spend money like a drunken college girl on spring break with daddy's credit card.

You pay income tax on money you earn or get from investments. Then with that whats left you pay more tax. Tax on real estate, tax on vehicles, plus tax on everything you buy. Tax on utilities tax on phones. Tax to hunt fish or trap. Tax on fuel.

government is completely out of control.

I know taxes are high, but it is comforting to know we have modern fighter jets, smart bombs, other high tech military might and I know that can’t come cheap.
I do like having police forces, good roads, schools, water systems and treatment systems.
Granted I do believe there is a ton of waste of tax money too, but there are some good things out there we benefit from.
Jim

Nobody should be required to pay taxes as it's never enough anyway and the Gubmint can invent all the $$ they want to spend. 30 trillion to date and will only continue to rise.
In Arkansas........ city, county, state each tax you for water, sewer, electricity and even trash services.

^this^

If you pay 25% in income taxes, (working for wages) State, federal, social security, and all the other payroll deductions states have dreamed up, then pay a 10% sales tax on everything you purchase with the 75%, , lose 4-5% or more from your savings due to inflation every year, lose buying power every year to inflation, see tax dollars sent to foreign countries, see tax dollars given to people to lazy to support them selves, see tax dollars given to people who refuse to pay back student loans, see politicians go from being broke bartenders to wealthy on a government salary and kickbacks, see immigrants get tax exemptions and business loans not available to the children of the people who provided the money with their tax's, on and on and on and on and on and on........

The question should probably be - Why do people keep paying their tax's instead of hanging politicians from overpasses?