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Why Republicans failed to fit taxes onto a postcard

Vox | September 8, 2025



For years, Republicans have proposed making the tax code so simple that Americans could file their taxes on a single postcard.

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So when they got the chance to reform taxes in 2017, they made sure to design and implement a postcard-sized tax return.

In reality, the postcard isn’t what they say it is. While it’s half the size of the old form, the new form is more condensed than simplified. Important deductions and tax credits, still exist, but they’ve been moved onto other forms. In order to file taxes with the new form, you could end up attaching six or more extra pieces of paper.

Republicans didn’t really simplify the tax code, but they still tried to simplify the tax return form.

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Comments

This post currently has 32 comments.

  11. @Squintis

    September 8, 2025 at 12:06 pm

    So it’s not simpler, it’s just hidden, to make it even harder for regular citizens who have no time and can’t hire an accountant or tax broker.

  12. @erikkrauss8481

    September 8, 2025 at 12:06 pm

    The tax prep industry is the problem too. The IRS has most of the information it needs, you could simply get a form that says do you want to file on your own, or just accept it.

  15. Anonymous

    September 8, 2025 at 12:06 pm

    To all people saying why America doesn’t implement the law so the government does your taxes. It’d because business that do your taxes charge you money and if the government did it then there would be no point for them to existing. So they would shut down so they lobby against the proposed law by giving billions of dollars to the USA. This is why I hate lobbyists!

  18. @thomashynes4042

    September 8, 2025 at 12:06 pm

    The US Tax Code contains more words than ALL of the HARRY POTTER BOOKS counted together. Think about that. Most don't understand how taxes work, most don't know that both parties wield the tax code in front of their constituents like a carrot in front of a rabbit head to slaughter for 2018 filing taxes for the 2017 income, it took about 2 hours to complete the form. Filing the 2018 taxes in 2019 took me all of 15min. And for the first time since 2008, a refund actually happened. Thanks to Our PRESIDENT, Donald Trump, who double the personal deductions.

    Imagine a Fast Food Worker, in my state earning $10.10 an hour working 40 hours a week = $21,008 / year. With the old tax code in place prior to Donald Trump, that individual would have paid taxes on $14,708 and at an AVG rate of 6% would have paid somewhere around $882.48. In 2019 that same individual paid $0, and as a result, had $16.97 more per week. A SMART individual would have saved that money… an unsmart individual would have spent the money.

    In Actuality, if you fill out your W4 form correctly then you should neither owe a tax or get a refund. The REFUND from the IRS is just your MONEY. In reality, if done incorrectly, you are just allowing the government to have access to your money to use as it sees fit until it comes time to give it back. If you received a small refund this year than that is a good thing.

    With the increase personal deduction, it means that part-time workers, Mom's who work part-time or low-income wage earners get to keep more of their money. The damage comes from Local governments who then raise taxes because YOU had more money. In my state they have with this year's budget, increased taxes that were already in place, expanded the tax to include things that were not taxed and created new taxes. So in essence, the individual above in this example will now pay MORE taxes to the state. All one has to do is look at those states that are controlled by Democrats, who love to spend and spend in the name of doing something that feels good, when in reality it just harms everyone.

  22. @sahalismael9410

    September 8, 2025 at 12:06 pm

    why democrats failed african americans should be the title this channel is just like fox or cnn pushing a political ideology thats y ppl dont trust it hide democrats faults expose conservatives not balance I call it fake news

  30. @Adspecter

    September 8, 2025 at 12:06 pm

    How about return free filing, aka the government sends us how much we owe, instead of us filing our taxes and figuring it this mess. Many countries did it, why can’t we?

  31. @t4705mb6

    September 8, 2025 at 12:06 pm

    Income taxes MUST stay ultra confusing if the privately owned Federal Reserve wants to continue to steal the maximum from labor…. "legally", of course.

Comments are closed.

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