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Massachusetts' Big Brother Tech to Watch Taxpayers
rocketjam writes "The Boston Globe reports that the Massachusetts state Revenue Department has launched a new technology offensive which strives to piece together all the stray bits of financial information about individual taxpayers that is contained in various public databases in order to catch tax cheats. The databases have been around for years, but technology has only recently enabled the state to assemble and review the information in a time-efficient manner. The so-called 'Discovery' initiative is already bringing in an additional $1 million a week. While denying the state is playing 'Big Brother', the Revenue Department Commissioner, Alan LeBovidge predicted the state may eventually be able to track so much financial information on individuals that the state could complete the citizens' returns for them."
I, for one, welcome our new, um..... well, overlords.
"If you want to improve, be content to be thought foolish and stupid." - Epictetus
...we might be able to use this system to find out where all those Taxachusetts politicians are hiding their secret payoffs and slush funds.
It says "The Boston Globe reports that the Massachusetts state Revenue Department has launched a new technology offensive"...
It should say "The Boston Globe reports that the Massachusetts state Revenue Department has launched a new offensive technology"
"Here's your form. Fill it out. We could just do it for you, but we're too lazy for that. We'd rather see if we can catch you cutting corners. It's a fun little game we like to play around here. They give points for every evildoing tax form we catch. Brian's leading this week but I'm gaining on him...."
Now where the hell is the syrup?!?
I swear, if that place was run by loving, caring democrats, this wouldn't be happening.
guns kill people like spoons make Rosie O'Donnell fat.
Consider people who receive paychecks instead of direct deposit, cash their checks at the grocery store, and keep their cash on-hand. How well do you track that?
That's just dandy too, because your employer will keep track of that for you. No worries!
Sincerely,
The Massachusett's Department of Reveue
Redmond is not in New England.
"If cash were invented today, it would be illegal."
Those darn right wing republicans! Taking every chance they get to take away our freedom. If we can get President Bush out of the Whitehouse, then maybe we start getting rid of the vast amounts of Republicans in the Mass. State Gov't.
I don't much care for the invasion of privacy...but I do like the idea of not having to do taxes. Grumble. Grumble. Grumble.
"Give someone a program, frustrate them for a day... Teach someone to program, frustrate them for a lifetime."
Dealing with states on taxes, specifically non-income tax related items is somewhat of a joke.
A friend who has a large retail operation on Florida once received a visit from the state. State said, you owe $91K in uncollected sales taxes according to our records. The state was really a single rep who most likely would receive incentives based upon the amount he collected.
Needless to say my friend hired an outside accountant to review everything and look at the claims. With some interesting results.
State agent returns to collect the money. My friend presents him with documentation and says, "we reviewed everything, and looks like we don't owe you $91K, in fact we overpaid $15K, so we need a refund."
Agent looked everything over, and said, he'd drop the claim and they'd call it even.
Canadian tax laws are more convoluded than the american ones. This coming from a Canadian living in Maryland.
It's just that Americans suck at math - they dont teach it in schools here.
I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
"the state could complete the citizens' returns for them" Great! They going to pay them for me too?
When all of your wishes have been granted, many of your dreams will be destroyed - Marilyn Manson
They've been plotting for years...
1888 Franklin St.
good ol "Taxachusetts"
See Sig! See Sig Zig! Zig Sig Zig!!!!!
PO Box 7007
Boston, MA 02204
Dear John Doe Taxpayer,
Recently we discovered the purchase of equipment over the internet, for which no use tax was paid. Please remit $50 plus $25 in penalties for the following items:
This letter is now a matter of public record. You have 30 days to pay penalties, and back tax.
Sincerely,
MA DOR
"I don't think it's selfish, to eat defenseless shellfish." -NOFX
"While denying the state is playing 'Big Brother', the Revenue Department Commissioner, Alan LeBovidge predicted the state may eventually be able to track so much financial information on individuals that the state could complete the citizens' returns for them."
Automated government wallet-raping, coming soon to a tax office near YOU!.
[Avg Citizen] "Please just tell me how money I have to pay to not be thrown in jail."
-- "Government is the great fiction through which everybody endeavors to live at the expense of everybody else."
What the hell are you doing going through my mailbox?
Dear Mass DOR,
These were business related expenses about and thus a tax credit is due. Included is a sample of my work.
Thank You,
John Doe Taxpayer
The 1040 is only two pages long. Of course, each line in that page typically requires the filing of a nother two-page form, or the filling out of a 40-line worksheet, that isn't even part of the forms.
(The 1040, unlike the Canadian forms, is a triumph of style over substance. I'm sure there's a bureaucrat somewhere that gets told to make sure every tax form is two pages long -- but because Congress didn't say anything about the complexity of the calculations that make up each line on the form, every line gets linked to a separate form. Talk about user design.)
> I hear the IRS rapes your wife, sells your children, and burns your house to the ground for anything more than 10 bucks.
You heard incorrectly.
Your wife only becomes eligible for the VIP (that's "Voluntary Impregnation Programme") treatment if you're a Head of Household who fails to timely file his Form 6969, ("Voluntary Declaration of Seignieur's Rights With Respect To A Spouse") and form 6868 ("We Do You Instead And Your Dependent Children Each Owe Us One"), unless said dependent children each filed, in triplicate, Form 7272 ("With Three Fingers Up Your Ass") for the four preceding tax years.
Geez, don't you people read your Revenue Bulletins and Interpretation Bulletins that get published during the first week of April? Just because the Revenue Bulletins aren't available at your post office doesn't mean you can't get them on the web, or subscribe to the IRS snail-mail mailing list for them. As the IRS explains repeatedly, the US tax code is based on a system of voluntary compliance. Ignorance of the law is no excuse!