Tax Return Preparation Outsourced to India

[AVG-JOE]

March 18, 2004

U.S. accounting firms are increasingly outsourcing data-entry work related to tax returns overseas. This year, as many as 100,000 American taxpayers may have their returns prepared in India. NPR's Elaine Korry reports.

Tax Return Work Outsourced to India : NPR

(Emphasis mine...)

I wonder how many more 1040's from American Citizens are going to be sent to India or elsewhere 6 years later?

We, The People spend a few hundred billion dollars every year on help filling out the basic paperwork required to work in this country.... Why? The Corporate Accounting firms can maintain unreasonable complexity because they have better representation in congress than you do, via their well-paid mercenary lobbyists!

It's W-2 time!!! Do you know where YOUR personal information is being sent because the Corporations that prepare your tax paperwork have better representation in congress than you do?

 

[Xenophon]

Learn to do your own taxes, I have filed my own for almost 30 years.

 

[AVG-JOE]

Learn to do your own taxes, I have filed my own for almost 30 years.

Good point, I do my own too... but not exactly the thesis of this thread.

In spite of the fact that I can do my own, I would still appreciate a congress that understands that simplifying the tax code is the right thing to do, even if doing so would send 6 out of 10 lawyers and 4 out of 10 accountants and their lobbyists to the unemployment line.

 

[xsited1]

March 18, 2004

U.S. accounting firms are increasingly outsourcing data-entry work related to tax returns overseas. This year, as many as 100,000 American taxpayers may have their returns prepared in India. NPR's Elaine Korry reports.

Tax Return Work Outsourced to India : NPR

(Emphasis mine...)

I wonder how many more 1040's from American Citizens are going to be sent to India or elsewhere 6 years later?

We, The People spend a few billion dollars every year on help filling out the basic paperwork required to work in this country.... Why? The Corporate Accounting firms can maintain unreasonable complexity because they have better representation in congress than you do, via their well-paid mercenary lobbyists!

It's W-2 time!!! Do you know where YOUR personal information is being sent because the Corporations that prepare your tax paperwork have better representation in congress than you do?

My wife is an accountant. She says she does our taxes every year, but I've had a sneaky suspicion for the last couple years that she's been outsourcing the work to India. Now I know!

 

[AVG-JOE]

March 18, 2004

U.S. accounting firms are increasingly outsourcing data-entry work related to tax returns overseas. This year, as many as 100,000 American taxpayers may have their returns prepared in India. NPR's Elaine Korry reports.

Tax Return Work Outsourced to India : NPR

(Emphasis mine...)

I wonder how many more 1040's from American Citizens are going to be sent to India or elsewhere 6 years later?

We, The People spend a few billion dollars every year on help filling out the basic paperwork required to work in this country.... Why? The Corporate Accounting firms can maintain unreasonable complexity because they have better representation in congress than you do, via their well-paid mercenary lobbyists!

It's W-2 time!!! Do you know where YOUR personal information is being sent because the Corporations that prepare your tax paperwork have better representation in congress than you do?

My wife is an accountant. She says she does our taxes every year, but I've had a sneaky suspicion for the last couple years that she's been outsourcing the work to India. Now I know!

 

[Screaming Eagle]

It's about time the Indians started doing this, maybe now I'll be able to afford to hire someone to do my taxes!

 

[Mr. H.]

Does this mean I can write off that Panang Curry I had for lunch?

 

[PatekPhilippe]

Learn to do your own taxes, I have filed my own for almost 30 years.

 

[AVG-JOE]

Learn to do your own taxes, I have filed my own for almost 30 years.

People, people, people!

The fucking point is that our fucking taxes shouldn't be so fucking hard that We, The People have to spend $250-$300 billion each year doing fucking paperwork!!
Tax preparation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Are the rest of you not fucking OUTRAGED at the fucking cost to do the fucking yearly paperwork it takes to earn a fucking living in this fucking country?!?!?

It's all because the corporations that are raking in that $250 - $300 BILLION per YEAR can afford better representation in congress than the average American can!

Is there a place for accountants and lawyers in the American market? Of course there is, but the average American working stiff should be required to send in no more than a post card and he / she should feel like he / she paid a fair and understandable amount.

 

[Screaming Eagle]

Learn to do your own taxes, I have filed my own for almost 30 years.

People, people, people!

The fucking point is that our fucking taxes shouldn't be so fucking hard that We, The People have to spend $250-$300 billion each year doing fucking paperwork!!
Tax preparation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Are the rest of you not fucking OUTRAGED at the fucking cost to do the fucking yearly paperwork it takes to earn a fucking living in this fucking country?!?!?

It's all because the corporations that are raking in that $250 - $300 BILLION per YEAR can afford better representation in congress than the average American can!

Is there a place for accountants and lawyers in the American market? Of course there is, but the average American working stiff should be required to send in no more than a post card and he / she should feel like he / she paid a fair and understandable amount.

Exactly. Sure it's easy when you just have a straight W-2 to file on, but many people's returns are far more complicated. To sum up my position, it isn't that many people need a tax attorney to help them file their taxes every year, it is better to say that all of these people need to be tax attorneys in order to pay their taxes.

 

[Jon]

The tax code will never be simplified to that point that you won't need accountants to do it. Sorry. Even the simplest tax codes would require interpretation and expertise. But if you want to send tax accountants to the unemployment line, I have no complaints. Maybe then I can take one of the corner offices our tax partners currently occupy.

 

[PatekPhilippe]

Learn to do your own taxes, I have filed my own for almost 30 years.

People, people, people!

The fucking point is that our fucking taxes shouldn't be so fucking hard that We, The People have to spend $250-$300 billion each year doing fucking paperwork!!
Tax preparation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Are the rest of you not fucking OUTRAGED at the fucking cost to do the fucking yearly paperwork it takes to earn a fucking living in this fucking country?!?!?

It's all because the corporations that are raking in that $250 - $300 BILLION per YEAR can afford better representation in congress than the average American can!

Is there a place for accountants and lawyers in the American market? Of course there is, but the average American working stiff should be required to send in no more than a post card and he / she should feel like he / she paid a fair and understandable amount.

Well...all I can say is this...those math classes paid off and it's a good thing I can read and understand words that are larger than 3 syllables.

 

[AVG-JOE]

People, people, people!

The fucking point is that our fucking taxes shouldn't be so fucking hard that We, The People have to spend $250-$300 billion each year doing fucking paperwork!!
Tax preparation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Are the rest of you not fucking OUTRAGED at the fucking cost to do the fucking yearly paperwork it takes to earn a fucking living in this fucking country?!?!?

It's all because the corporations that are raking in that $250 - $300 BILLION per YEAR can afford better representation in congress than the average American can!

Is there a place for accountants and lawyers in the American market? Of course there is, but the average American working stiff should be required to send in no more than a post card and he / she should feel like he / she paid a fair and understandable amount.

Exactly. Sure it's easy when you just have a straight W-2 to file on, but many people's returns are far more complicated. To sum up my position, it isn't that many people need a tax attorney to help them file their taxes every year, it is better to say that all of these people need to be tax attorneys in order to pay their taxes.

If I had a nickel for every person that I know personally who had to let their small business go tits up because they were overwhelmed by the paperwork, I'd have about 30 cents.

If I had a nickel for every person in America who had to let their small business go tits up because they were overwhelmed by the paperwork, I'd retire with a LOT of toys.

You want jobs in this country? Quit overwhelming the creative entrepreneur with competition squelching paperwork!

There are sinister forces at work whose goal is to make sure that your small business idea does not get off the ground and you are forced to sell your creativity to them at bargain prices.

To the day when Mercenary Lobbying* is a capital crime!

*Mercenary Lobbying: Being paid by someone to try and influence elected representatives.

 

[MaggieMae]

Learn to do your own taxes, I have filed my own for almost 30 years.

People, people, people!

The fucking point is that our fucking taxes shouldn't be so fucking hard that We, The People have to spend $250-$300 billion each year doing fucking paperwork!!
Tax preparation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Are the rest of you not fucking OUTRAGED at the fucking cost to do the fucking yearly paperwork it takes to earn a fucking living in this fucking country?!?!?

It's all because the corporations that are raking in that $250 - $300 BILLION per YEAR can afford better representation in congress than the average American can!

Is there a place for accountants and lawyers in the American market? Of course there is, but the average American working stiff should be required to send in no more than a post card and he / she should feel like he / she paid a fair and understandable amount.

Most aren't that hard to prepare, unless you have a lot of transactions that require schedules dealing with capital gains/losses offsets, second homes, stocks, and the myriad other situations that affect the bottom line. If your income is such that you need to file a straight 1040 with the most familiar Schedules A, B, C & D, just follow the directions EXACTLY, which are idiot-proof, and you shouldn't have a problem. Anything more complicated should be done by a competent tax accountant because s/he will probably find things you didn't think of.

As for offshoring tax preparation, who does that? Isn't the OP about the audit (if any) done by the IRS after you or your tax accountant has submitted it?

All that said, I too would like to see a tax policy that abolishes the income tax and all its loopholes but probably won't see that happen in my lifetime--hopefully yours.

 

[Joe Steel]

Taxes should be as complicated as they need to be. Simplicity has its virtue but not where it doesn't serve a purpose. The problem lies with the treason of the accounting firms. What's the difference between helping a foreign enemy kill Americans or helping a foreign trading partner impoverish them? None, in my opinion.

 

[MaggieMae]

People, people, people!

The fucking point is that our fucking taxes shouldn't be so fucking hard that We, The People have to spend $250-$300 billion each year doing fucking paperwork!!
Tax preparation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Are the rest of you not fucking OUTRAGED at the fucking cost to do the fucking yearly paperwork it takes to earn a fucking living in this fucking country?!?!?

It's all because the corporations that are raking in that $250 - $300 BILLION per YEAR can afford better representation in congress than the average American can!

Is there a place for accountants and lawyers in the American market? Of course there is, but the average American working stiff should be required to send in no more than a post card and he / she should feel like he / she paid a fair and understandable amount.

Exactly. Sure it's easy when you just have a straight W-2 to file on, but many people's returns are far more complicated. To sum up my position, it isn't that many people need a tax attorney to help them file their taxes every year, it is better to say that all of these people need to be tax attorneys in order to pay their taxes.

If I had a nickel for every person that I know personally who had to let their small business go tits up because they were overwhelmed by the paperwork, I'd have about 30 cents.

If I had a nickel for every person in America who had to let their small business go tits up because they were overwhelmed by the paperwork, I'd retire with a LOT of toys.

You want jobs in this country? Quit overwhelming the creative entrepreneur with competition squelching paperwork!

There are sinister forces at work whose goal is to make sure that your small business idea does not get off the ground and you are forced to sell your creativity to them at bargain prices.

To the day when Mercenary Lobbying* is a capital crime!

*Mercenary Lobbying: Being paid by someone to try and influence elected representatives.

Granted, there's a lot of paperwork involved in running a business. But a successful one will make sure it has a competent accounting department and a competent business manager. When an entrepreneur tries to do everything all alone, it's just asking for trouble.

 

[AVG-JOE]

Exactly. Sure it's easy when you just have a straight W-2 to file on, but many people's returns are far more complicated. To sum up my position, it isn't that many people need a tax attorney to help them file their taxes every year, it is better to say that all of these people need to be tax attorneys in order to pay their taxes.

If I had a nickel for every person that I know personally who had to let their small business go tits up because they were overwhelmed by the paperwork, I'd have about 30 cents.

If I had a nickel for every person in America who had to let their small business go tits up because they were overwhelmed by the paperwork, I'd retire with a LOT of toys.

You want jobs in this country? Quit overwhelming the creative entrepreneur with competition squelching paperwork!

There are sinister forces at work whose goal is to make sure that your small business idea does not get off the ground and you are forced to sell your creativity to them at bargain prices.

To the day when Mercenary Lobbying* is a capital crime!

*Mercenary Lobbying: Being paid by someone to try and influence elected representatives.

Granted, there's a lot of paperwork involved in running a business. But a successful one will make sure it has a competent accounting department and a competent business manager. When an entrepreneur tries to do everything all alone, it's just asking for trouble.

Is it not a crying shame that in the land of 'entrepreneurial opportunity' that a talented kid with a camera probably won't make it on her own unless she can afford an accountant and a Nikon?

Doesn't it just SUCK that a guy can invest everything he has managed to save while working into the tools he needs to start a landscaping service, only to have the IRS put him and his 4 employees out of business because the cash flow wasn't quite up to covering both food for his family and a tax attorney?

 

[Screaming Eagle]

I know a lot of small business owners and they all have hell with their taxes. Sure you can all sit around and say taxes are soooo easy, and they are as long as you are a good little drone and don't try to live the American dream by running your own business.

Anybody who sits around whining about the accountants who would be out of work can eat shit. Nobody complains about the wheelwrights being out of work. Imagine if we had to keep telegraphers on the payroll or switchboard operators. Some jobs go out of demand, tough.

 

[SFC Ollie]

Not only have i always done my own taxes but my last 2 years on active duty i was VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Adviser) . In a training company. I must have done 1000 1040EZ's each of those years and at least 350 1040A's and several dozen 1040's.

And these past 4 or 5 years I've done mine and 3 of my Brothers and one of my Sisters.

Some times it's not good to know some things.

But I can promise you if any of them had a small business they would be out of luck. I'm not that good.

 

[MaggieMae]

If I had a nickel for every person that I know personally who had to let their small business go tits up because they were overwhelmed by the paperwork, I'd have about 30 cents.

If I had a nickel for every person in America who had to let their small business go tits up because they were overwhelmed by the paperwork, I'd retire with a LOT of toys.

You want jobs in this country? Quit overwhelming the creative entrepreneur with competition squelching paperwork!

There are sinister forces at work whose goal is to make sure that your small business idea does not get off the ground and you are forced to sell your creativity to them at bargain prices.

To the day when Mercenary Lobbying* is a capital crime!

*Mercenary Lobbying: Being paid by someone to try and influence elected representatives.

Granted, there's a lot of paperwork involved in running a business. But a successful one will make sure it has a competent accounting department and a competent business manager. When an entrepreneur tries to do everything all alone, it's just asking for trouble.

Is it not a crying shame that in the land of 'entrepreneurial opportunity' that a talented kid with a camera probably won't make it on her own unless she can afford an accountant and a Nikon?

Doesn't it just SUCK that a guy can invest everything he has managed to save while working into the tools he needs to start a landscaping service, only to have the IRS put him and his 4 employees out of business because the cash flow wasn't quite up to covering both food for his family and a tax attorney?

Your snideness aside, it's an unwritten tenet (actually no, a written GUIDELINE by the SBA) that a person or persons attempting to forge ahead with their own business should not quit their day job until they have enough CASH FLOW to keep not only the business going profitably, but to put food on the table for their families.

Too bad we live in America, eh? Where everyone can certainly try, but there's no guarantee of success. Any small business (from 4 to 400) would be WISE to make use of the expertise of a tax accountant because the IRS rules can be complicated. It's a no-brainer. It doesn't mean the owner has to have one on staff, for God's sake...