Rally the troops

Thanks to Robert Flach, the Wandering Tax Pro, for his informative comment in answer to my question of how to get involved in pushing for tax simplification.

He writes:

There is really no effective lobby for the individual taxpayer. Until there is, all the other lobbies for special interest groups, with their huge budgets, will continue to entice Congress to complicate the Tax Code in their favor.

National Taxpayer Advocate Nina Olsen is a good loud advocate for the taxpayer and for simplification, but Congress rarely acts on her recommendations.

It's unfortunate that my perception turns out to be fairly accurate -- that there is no effective lobby for the taxpayer in pushing for simplification. Instead, the problem just keeps getting worse with each new credit and deduction.

I was thrilled to read Mr. Flach's offer to join me in organizing Tax Professionals for Simplification in his weekly recap of what's going on in the tax world, What's the Buzz. I'm not sure precisely when I'll be able to delve into the idea (selling a house and all), and I won't be able to devote a lot of time to this (and am sure others can't devote a lot either), but I figure some time is better than none. And I really think it's high time for change!

We'll keep you posted.