The Washington Monthly

February 21, 2005

MAKING GOVERNMENT LESS EFFICIENT....Conservatives are always bellyaching about how complex the tax code is and what a burden it is on the average taxpayer. California Controller Steve Westly agrees, so he's started up a pilot program in which certain taxpayers receive a tax return that's already filled out. It's being used for taxpayers with very simple returns, and of course it's completely optional. You can toss it out and do your taxes yourself if you want.

Good idea, right? Not according to tax jihadist Grover Norquist:

In his letter to the governor, Norquist wrote: "Filling out quarterly or yearly tax returns is often the only time taxpayers really see how much they owe. By eliminating this step in the process, income taxes become almost invisible, and there will be less opposition to tax increases."

Remember that. Conservatives like Grover Norquist don't want to make government better and more efficient. Instead, they actively want it to be as intrusive and annoying as possible so that people will want to get rid of it. Improving people's lives just gets in their way.

—Kevin Drum 12:05 AM Permalink | Trackbacks

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