Just how long is the tax code? This long:
WASHINGTON (AP) - Too intimidated to fill out your tax return without help? Join the club.
At nearly 4 million words, the U.S. tax law is so thick and complicated that businesses and individuals spend more than 6 billion hours a year complying with filing requirements, according to a report Wednesday by an independent government watchdog.
That's the equivalent of 3 million people working full-time, year-round.
[. . .]
"This report confirms that the code is 10 times the size of the Bible with none of the good news," said Rep. Dave Camp, chairman of the House and Ways and Means Committee. "Our broken tax code has become a nightmare of loopholes and special interest provisions that create added complexities and costs for hardworking taxpayers and small businesses."
Of course, the Bible just gives us the sweeping overview of how we should live our lives, which takes considerably fewer words than the fussy little details of how we must live our lives. Of course, when you boil the Bible down to its essence, you're still left with 10 Commandments. You could boil the tax code down to one sentence: "You may think you own your money, but we own you, and don't ever forget it."
Yeah, broken, and so broken it can't really be fixed. Scrap it and start over.
