Even worse, most so-called professionals are no more proficient at handling a tax return than a unlicensed preparer. Several studies (‘Consumer Reports’ ‘Wall Street Journal’ etc.) have given identical itemized tax returns to multi-preparers (as many as 17 in one study) and in EVERY case the results were DIFFERENT. This is because of the abstruse rules and regulations of tex preparation which Einstein once commented was the most “difficult problem” he had ever faced.

But what do I know. I’m not an ‘expert” like Tim Geithner.

Obama will press to license all tax preparations. You want to do your own? Only if you are licensed. Pay the fees annually to be licensed. Come to find another year that you must perpetually attend conferences, not merely take examinations. Pay the fees. Pay the fees to pay your taxes.

In addition to paying fees and paying fees and paying,yet,even more fees,you will now have to recieve more bs from the perpetual campaign for office, because they will no doubt hav access to you, your information, and your bank acct, and the propaganda machine I mean Obama Hussain website and Acorn will no doubt get their hands on ALL of your stuff.

Claiming that the US loses almost $300 billion a year in tax-preparation fraud,
We lose a lot more than that to congressional fraud.

300 BILlION AINT SQUAT to these morons in Convictgress.

….and raise compliance with increasingly complex tax law.

There’s the crux. It’ll get more complex and we’ll all need professional help. You’re government grows and becomes more complex. You peons just don’t understand.

The costs of such licensing would be huge. Many unlicensed tax preparers would simply stop doing it. Which would lead to more self-prepared returns and greater demand on licensed preparers who are already flat-out during tax season. Both of which would increase the chances for error. The desired increase for accuracy could very well backfire and lead to greater inaccuracy overall.

And while initials after one’s name generally means good quality that’s certainly not always the case. I’ve gotten clients whose prior “CPAs” were worse than Turbo-Tax Geithner. On the other hand I know a number of non-licensed preparers who do a very good job.

I also doubt this proposal would help with the goal of collecting more uncollected tax. While a licensing requirement MIGHT reduce errors, those errors work both for and against the gov’t. It’s deliberate fraud that is causing the shortfall. From my experience I’d say the vast majority of tax preparers (both licensed and not) bend over backwards to ensure the returns they prepare are legal. A licensing requirement won’t get rid of the fraudsters, though.

We have two major proposals on the table for that in political circles — Fair Tax and Flat Tax. While both have issues, they represent an order-of-magnitude improvement

Let’s have a Tax Simplication Czar. I volunteer.

We have two major proposals on the table for that in political circles — Fair Tax and Flat Tax. While both have issues, they represent an order-of-magnitude improvement over the progressive patronage system

Yes, and think of all the tax preparers out of work! To a Lib, that’s a horror. To a conservative, that’s an unproductive use of skilled labor eliminated, people freed up to actually create value.

Obama will press to license all tax preparations. You want to do your own? Only if you are licensed. Pay the fees annually to be licensed. Come to find another year that you must perpetually attend conferences, not merely take examinations. Pay the fees. Pay the fees to pay your taxes.

1. Total wages and tips earned ____________
2. Taxes paid through employer on W-2 ____________
3. Subract line 2 from line 1 and put total here _________
4. Pay line 3 to us now.
5. Now go to the uncaring, overpaid, union bureaucrat and get your welfare check and foodstamps, as long as you keep voting Democrat.

Claiming that the US loses almost $300 billion a year in tax-preparation fraud…

Maybe I’m dense, but how does this prevent TurboTaxers and the luddites who still fill out paper forms from cheating on their taxes?

After that: Speech Czar.

Then: Warrantless Search Czar.

And: Religious Intolerance Czar.

Followed by: Suspension of Habeus Corpus Czar.

Finally: You Will Love Big Brother Czar.