Taxes are too complicated, even for politicians

You would think that the federal politicians who helped create the enormity of confusion called Federal Income Tax would be able to figure it out better.  But that is not the case for former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle.  Daschle was all set up to be confirmed as Secretary of Health and Human Services, a cabinet level position, when a volcano of reports about his late and unpaid taxes erupted.  Daschle withdrew his name from consideration for HHS Secretary and expressed regret about his tax problems.

Although I’m certainly not a Daschle fan, I felt sorry for anyone caught up getting all confused about taxes.  That was, until I remembered that this was one of the guys who was elected for quite a long time to solve problems like complicated taxes.

The U.S.  needs a more simple tax system, one where you don’t have to choose between 3 different forms with 4 digit idenfication numbers with double digit lines each referring to pages of instructions which refer to completion of other forms which is JUST TOO MUCH!

Tom Daschle was in a prime position to solve this sort of problem, but didn’t.  The fact that he got caught up with late and unpaid taxes I credit to the fact that he didn’t make the system more simple when he had the chance.

I think of it as just a little bit of irony.