Are Taxes Too Complicated? What Do YOU Think?

Subtract line 12 from line 11 and then multiply by your frustration level.

By a 2-1 ratio, American voters find the tax system too complicated, and by large margins have their federal income tax returns prepared by some someone else, according to a new Quinnipiac University Poll.

Older voters feel the most pain. The survey found that 68 percent of voters age 55 and older have someone else do their federal tax returns - the highest rate of any age group. And 72 percent of voters 55 and older said the federal tax system is too complicated - also the highest percentage of any age group.

Related: Tax Tips for Caregivers

Nearly half of the voters questioned said the tax system should be simplified, with most deductions eliminated - an idea Congress has been considering. Getting rid of tax loopholes for people with higher incomes was especially popular among older voters (75 percent of those polled liked the idea).

How about their own payments to Uncle Sam? "While almost everyone gripes about paying taxes, most voters say they pay their fair share, while about a third say they pay too much," says Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.

The poll was conducted from March 26 to April 1 - before the procrastinators pulled out their shoe boxes of financial records to get started on their tax returns (or to have someone else get started for them).

Get Help with Your Taxes: AARP Tax Aide Program

 

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