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Comment by bell-cot | Hacker News Reader

> What does the average American think about this?

Like most problems, the average American has (for political purposes) ~zero mental engagement with this. Vs. those for-profit corporations (and a variety of other interest groups) are intensely engaged. And it's all-too-frequently reported that any politician who wants to be (re-)elected to America's Congress needs to be intensely engaged with wooing interest group support and campaign fundraising.

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Here here! And, that is honestly the best. It’s why we have a republic and not a “pure democracy”. Nobody likes taxes, but other than having to interface with the system once a year… who cares? I can pay H&R Block $X or pay $Y more in taxes. Whoopie!

/s, perhaps?

Summed across the whole economy, the total $X being paid to America's "Tax-Industrial Complex" is vastly more than the total $Y that it'd cost to have an efficient government-run system.

I expect most of the people who spend substantial amounts of time/money on doing taxes in the US would spend substantial time/money on taxes in most other countries too--unless it's a country where a lot of people basically evade paying taxes at all.

“Tax-Industrial Conplex”?! If you had something to say, it’s now lost behind your rhetoric. "Eisenhower's farewell address to the nation" does not commute to H&R Block. This is a foolish misquote that absolutely reeks of an appeal to (false) authority. I also disagree that a new government tax program would be more efficient than the established market-rate tax preparation businesses. Let alone vastly more efficient. Magical thinking doesn’t help anyone solve anything.

> I can pay H&R Block $X or pay $Y more in taxes.

I'd much rather my money go to the government than to tax preparers, though.

On what planet is it better to give money back to The Government rather than back into the economy?!

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