@georgetakei@universeodon.com I like Ron Swanson on Parks and Rec- he took one of his girlfriend’s kid’s lunch sandwiches and told the kid “that’s taxes”.

@georgetakei@universeodon.com Good thing those M&M taxes feed the police, or the kid would likely have the rest stolen.

@georgetakei@universeodon.com This meme is nonsense. I’ve made errors on taxes several times in my life and have never even been threatened with prison. I’ve also gotten money BACK from the IRS on some occasions when I made a mistake in their favor.

@georgetakei@universeodon.com And I learned if you don’t have enough taken out of your paychecks, you get a penalty, even though you are paying the right amount at tax time!

@georgetakei@universeodon.com only if you start with the mini fun size bag of m&ms. If you inherit a 2lb bag, the government never checks to see if you’re doing it right.

@georgetakei@universeodon.com hahah only, he has to work all year for that bag first

@georgetakei@universeodon.com strongest argument yet for America to adopt PAYE…

@georgetakei@universeodon.com While this is Quora, for once people seem sane and knowledgeable. It’s a start to the answer, not the end.

https://www.quora.com/Why-doesn-t-the-IRS-just-send-me-a-bill-for-the-taxes-I-owe-based-on-the-info-they-already-have#:~:text=Originally Answered%3A Why doesn’t,or take the standard deduction.

@georgetakei@universeodon.com Yeah, I get it, but you have to work pretty hard to end up in prison over a failure to pay. Normally you just owe money with interest and penalty. Given the propensity of software and accountants, this is a rather distorted view, IMO. Also, there’s this public benefit for paying taxes… schools, roads, fire, police, etc.

@georgetakei@universeodon.com taxes are how we pay for good roads, schools, opportunities for all… or the American model where half of every tax dollar goes towards oppressing the entire world through military might.

@georgetakei@universeodon.com

LOL. If you gave them to him, they’re a nontaxable gift. If he earned them by doing chores, a small percentage comes out to pay for the infrastructure that makes life tolerable: roads, schools, public libraries, etc.

As for the self-arithmetic, it’s not that hard, unless he earned a room full of them. In which case, he can hire some to do the math. If he can’t do the math, then his schools didn’t get enough tax revenue.

@georgetakei@universeodon.com
Life in the good Ol’ US of A.

@georgetakei@universeodon.com
You see it’s the same way with our federal currency. The government gives you the money first then taxes it back. This is an important distinction because it goes to show that the government doesn’t need tax money to pay for policies or programs. Oh and going to jail for not paying your taxes is what gives our fiat currency its value, not the gold stored in a vault somewhere.

@georgetakei@universeodon.com I wish people would stop posting this meme. The government knows the most you might owe. Go ahead and pay that if you like but the reason you “do” taxes is to find all your deductions. Note: This in no way implies the US tax code is not f’d up.

@georgetakei@universeodon.com well mostly because the accountant lobby is making sure they still have a job