As of Monday, the ability to file taxes in the United States has begun. And the IRS has already stated there will be massive delays due to staff shortages and overload from working on COVID-related programs throughout 2021. More from the AP & NBCNews
Agency officials are already warning filers that “in many areas, we are unable to deliver the amount of service and enforcement that our taxpayers and tax system deserves and needs,” as IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig put it earlier in the month. Delays in processing are to be expected — especially because the IRS says it still is working through 2020 tax returns.
NBC News
Other issues will be from people filing their taxes. This stems from advance Child Tax Credit payments along with other stimulous payments. People have more to navigate.
Lost in all of this is how freaking complicated tax filing remains. Intuit lobbied for two decades to keep their position as a money-making service for tax filing. By law every company who gives or takes money from you must report it to the IRS. The government already knows how much you make and have paid in tax. The fact that we are forced to still fill out forms, calculate it, and report it ourselves is absurd. Oh and if you mess up, they audit you and can make life difficult. But they know something is wrong because they have all the info already.
So, yes, 2022 tax filing will suck. COVID plays a part but so does the constant reminder that lobbying and greed have ensured the system has never improved.