Is that reform?

While it’s true that the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act will likely cut your taxes, it is certainly not “tax reform.” True tax reform would mean a fundamental change to the system and the manner in which people comply with the law. The Jobs Act simply stirred the pot in terms of what deductions are allowed and how income is taxed. We still have a Marxist graduated tax system that punishes the most productive and encourages non-production. On top of that, the Jobs Act is imposing drastic administrative burdens on the IRS. Before the 2018 filing season begins, the IRS must re-program approximately 140 return processing systems, and either redesign or create from scratch about 450 tax forms, instructions and publications. They will also have to publish guidance and issue new regulations covering dozens of various topics. Now, it’s not my job to defend the IRS. But the more time the IRS spends on these concerns, the less time they spend helping people. Since 2010, the number of taxpayer assistance employees dropped by 56% but the number of people filing tax returns increased by 6%. Tax policy is going in exactly the wrong direction.