21st Century Taxation

I just discovered the 21st Century Taxation blog and related site about federal and California state tax reform. The site is the work of Annette Nellen, professor at San Jose State University.

She provides a great list of resources on tax reform, including the reports from President Bush's Advisory Panel.

Once I get to reading this, maybe there's a chance one will seem like real reform, and not just a band-aid. I will happily send that on to the White House for consideration!

What topics are you writing the White House about?

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How does that work?

As many tax bloggers have noted, the White House has requested ideas for the President's Economic Recovery Advisory Board to develop options for tax reform.

The blog includes this note:

The mandate to the PERAB is NOT to recommend a new tax system. They are to consider ideas on tax simplification, better enforcement of tax law, and reforming corporate taxes and to present the pros and cons of potential tax options... So be mindful of their constraints when submitting ideas.

I struggle to understand how we can get real tax simplification without recommending a new tax system. Maybe it's that my interpretation of the words "simplification" and "tax system" are not consistent with the government's. Because the way I see it, we can't get simplification without seriously revamping the system.

As often happens, I find myself comparing this situation to medicine (which just might have something to do with being married to a doctor). If we only change a code section here, or a regulation there, we're just treating symptoms and not the disease.

Just like when we keep adding new credits and deductions, we keep trying to cure our economic ailments with more and more medication. And from the stories I hear, more medication is not always the best answer! It often makes things worse.

In this stupor of mine, I cannot think of a recommendation to give the White House that would feel like anything more than treating a minor symptom of a dreadful disease. How depressing.

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An Inconvenient Tax

Recently, I posted about my concerns that those seeking tax simplification were not effectively represented in Washington.

I thought about starting Tax Professionals for Simplification, which may still become a project -- but I think this upcoming movie is going to be much more effective than any such organization led by me.

I can't wait to see it!

An Inconvenient Tax - Official Trailer from Life Is My Movie Entertainment on Vimeo.

Hat tip to Taxgirl for the clip, who I hear just may be in the film!

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Slacker

I'm a blogging slacker. I hesitate to post when I haven't kept up on all the other blogging out there, which is really hard to do. You diligent tax bloggers are amazing.

I'm still at 1000+ unread items in Google Reader, so I won't be caught up any time soon. These cursed 9/15 and 10/15 deadlines are such a nuisance.

As the days tick by, I imagine myself being summarily dropped from the list of tax bloggers anyone cares to follow. I'd like to be part of the cool tax crowd, but may not yet have what it takes. Perhaps when this house gets sold and my kids are out of diapers, I'll have a shot.

Today I figured I'd mention a few posts that have caught my eye:

• Paul Caron reports that Tax Analysts presented President Obama's task force with 32 essays from top tax minds on tax reform. I admit I'm eagerly awaiting the task force's recommendations in December.
  
  
• A great new blog, Bed Buffaloes in your tax code, discusses Tax software and barriers to entry: are tax pros more like physicians or more like hair braiders? I'm always comparing my profession as a CPA to that of a physician, but maybe I'm wrong!


• I'm with The Wandering Tax Pro when it comes to TV, as he posts in "If I Had my Druthers."


• Yet another Obama nominee with tax trouble... seriously? Paul Caron posts "Home Office Deduction Trips Up Treasury Department Nominee."
  


• And a quick thank you to The Wandering Tax Pro for mentioning a recent post on my companion blog, Confessions of a CPA.

I look forward to scanning several hundred more posts over the next couple weeks, and just maybe I'll manage to come up with an original post of my own. (I can hope, anyway.)

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A Day that will Live in Infamy

Thank you fellow bloggers The Tax Lawyer (Peter Pappas) and The Wandering Tax Pro (Robert Flach) for your posts honoring the significance of this day.

I admit that the ordinary activities of life -- 9/15 tax returns, IRS notices, diaper changes, etc. -- felt out of place today. When my children grow older, I hope to take them to the National September 11 Memorial, which I'm sure will convey the meaning of that day much better than I could ever begin to do.

My thoughts and prayers are with all those who have lost. Please know that no matter how many years pass, we will always remember.

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Accounting Cheese

Just catching up on the blogosphere, and came across this post from Joe Kristan (originally from Taxprof) with two of the worst accounting videos ever.

I watched a few seconds of each, then had to stop because it was just too painful.

I guess I'll just have to get used to being one of the few cool accountants in existence.

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