An Inconvenient Tax

The very real problem that faces our nation in more ways than one does happen to be our taxes and how we as a nation tax ourselves. We are very closed to the idea that we as a country have any power at all to effect change in a real way that is significant in regards to our nations tax policy or code. This is a long and boring subject and unfortunately this is also a bit of a boring movie as well but still an important one. with the lack of public knowledge of such a subject it is important to really educate ourselves and each other on not only what the tax code is but why it is and how it works. I will admit that the movie is actually a little hard to grasp but it really taught me what the tax code is and where it actually comes form.

Albert Einstein once wrote, "The hardest thing in the world to understand is the income tax." The product of 95 years worth of additions, subtractions, deductions, and exclusions, it has become such a headache that many are calling for it to be drastically simplified or even removed altogether.

The first interesting thing this documentary claimed was that the Boston Tea Party was not a revolt against taxes but actually tax loopholes. I had never heard that, and if true, changes the way I look at this piece of history.

What is great about tax reform is that you have people on the left (Noam Chomsky) and the right (Ron Paul, Herman Cain) who agree it should be done. Of course, few people agree how it should be done, but we know it is too complicated, their are too many loopholes. The details are the problem.

I like how it showed that people in the early days of taxes (after 1913) saw paying taxes as a sign of success and patriotism. If this was accurate, that is interesting.

Interesting topic, amazing access to all sorts of experts such as Steve Forbes, but ruined by a constant barrage of animations and irrelevant film footage. You would get 20 seconds of an interesting interview followed up by 10 seconds of a cartoon or irrelevant "funny" footage, followed up by another 20 seconds which is starting to be interesting, then some more stock footage. It totally ruins the flow.

I have to wonder that the three (counting mine) reviews currently on IMDb are all excellent, while the ratings are so low. Did the people giving rankings actually view the movie? Did they automatically assume that because a (fill-in the blank)-wing person was one of the commentators that the film was automatically to be dismissed. The beauty of this film - apart from the fact that it is well-done, filled with crucial information, creative and funny at times - is that it presents a common theme among people of different political persuasions; something we can all get behind: the grotesquely complex tax code is due to thousands of special tax breaks. The tax code is unfair, intimidating and out-of-date. Personally, I'm glad there is an issue which so many people can get behind. Now, if we just tried to learn more about it - and this film helps - we could, as one commentator said, "Force the hand of the lawmakers". As another commentator said - if we don't pay attention, then the wrong people will, and they'll (they are) make out like "bandits". There really are a few basic principles one can learn that will greatly raise one's level of awareness. A good companion book is one written by one of the commentators, John O. Fox - If Americans Really Understood the Income Tax: Our Most Expensive Ignorance. Very readable, even for someone like me with no background in the area. I learned a great deal and feel much more capable of entering the conversation about tax reform now.

This movie did a wonderful job of helping me get a better understanding of the US Tax Code. I loved the way all of the sides were included to paint a vivid picture of how evil the Tax Code is. The interviews were the people I would want to talk to about the topic and the way in which they answered questions had me agreeing with all sides.

My only real critique was the amount of old footage used and the lack of story. While the footage was enjoyed at times in the movie I just would have liked to have seen a little less of it.

What a great educational piece that made taxes interesting and less complicated to understand.I recommend it to all sides of the aisle.