> Isn’t most of the complexity associated with itemized deductions
I had to laugh a little at this, its like saying, "CPUs, isn't that just a bunch of switches?" Yes, you are correct. But it's been nearly a century of wealthy people hiring lawmakers to create hundreds of thousands of esoteric deductions that are only accessible to people who own business that they can fiddle with, aka rich folks.
In the grandparent post you were excusing Intuit’s lobbyism by using a what-aboutist look-the-other-way argument to appoint a different entity (collection of “rich people”) as the designated tormentor for tax code complexity.
I surmised that complexities introduced by that group are irrelevant in calculating standard tax return costs, as no one requires a low income earner to deal with vagaries of obscure deductions. It’s mainly Intuit who should be blamed for beefing up those costs.
You seem to agree with that statement in your subsequent comment, so I’m no longer sure about the insight you are trying to drive through.
Is it just a trivial “taxes are complex, man” thesis?
I had to laugh a little at this, its like saying, "CPUs, isn't that just a bunch of switches?" Yes, you are correct. But it's been nearly a century of wealthy people hiring lawmakers to create hundreds of thousands of esoteric deductions that are only accessible to people who own business that they can fiddle with, aka rich folks.