A tax is a monetary deduction that the government makes for it to finance given public project within each state. For every individual income is a very delicate issue and the deductions make it even more difficult for the middle -income earners. For this reason, there are any illegal activities that people engage in to avoid high tax deductions. The hardest hit is the group of people who do not earn much. Recently, I volunteered to help in the filing of tax returns in my town, and I discovered that most of the individuals were part of suspicious activities to get more refunds. Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is a tax plan specifically for people who are middle or low-income earners. It helps them acquire returns that can help them lie comfortably.
This plan has had good reception, but some people just want more and end up doing some things such as: Overstating their income so that they are eligible for more tax refunds (Buhlmann et al 15). Married couples also file their returns separately as of getting more refunds. In addition to EITC, there is also another tax plan is the Children Tax Credit that allows individuals to cater for their kids’ education and upkeep as it is part of the EITC some parents increase the number of kids up to the limit number.
However, there are ways in which such activities can be eliminated to ensure that filing of tax is free from misinformation: Increasing the penalties for the people committing tax crimes. The fact that the people are middle-income earners will want to avoid such crimes to ensure that they do not pay hefty fines. Also, the electronic systems are improving through an upgrade so that one’s identity is known and if they work in companies the system has the record of the companies and how much they earn (Cakman et al 221). These factors may not be enough, but they are a beginning towards combating tax crimes.
References
Buhlmann, Florian, Benjamin Elsner, and Andreas Peichl. “Tax Refunds And Income Manipulation Evidence From The EITC.” SSRN Electronic Journal (2017): 15-18. Web.
CAKMAN, Kemal, and Halit DOGAN. “Income Tax Fraud: Estimations Of Its Dimensions; Its Economic Consequences And A Tax Reform Proposal.” Ekonomik Yaklasim 23.Special (2012): 221. Web.
