It’s just another one of the millions of little ways Americans get screwed. I lived in the US for quite a few years and it was a shitshow. Here in Australia, the government provides a portal for filing your taxes (and pretty much all government services - just a single portal). All your info is pre-filled, you just add any additional undeclared income or deductions you want and submit. Unless you’re dealing with millions of dollars, the whole process takes 10 minutes.
It’s just another one of the millions of little ways Americans get screwed. I lived in the US for quite a few years and it was a shitshow. Here in Australia, the government provides a portal for filing your taxes (and pretty much all government services - just a single portal). All your info is pre-filled, you just add any additional undeclared income or deductions you want and submit. Unless you’re dealing with millions of dollars, the whole process takes 10 minutes.