A free mobile app to file taxes in America sounds too good to be true but maybe miracles do happen. I want to be cautiously optimistic about this one. But if we start to make changes at this scale, it would be nice if people also got a say in where atleast an certain percent of their taxes went.
If say, it was up to the individual to decide what cause they want to support with 1% of their taxes, I would for sure give mine to National Parks and Public Libraries. This could be a great way to test what the population really cared about. The top ten categories to receive funding through this 1% channel would clearly be the things the people cared about the most. In similar vein, it would be nice to have a say in what I did not want my tax dollars spent on - maybe an impossible thing to ask for. The top ten categories based on people's "deny" list is similarly a strong indicator of what the population does not want the government to invest in. It can be argued that the wisdom of the crowds is worth learning from and acting on.
None of what I imagine to be ideal is ever going to happen, but while dreaming of this free mobile app that will make tax filing painless, why not make that dream a lot more colorful.
Comments