The Straight Dope: Why doesn’t the IRS just send us a tax bill?

[View this message as a web page] [The Straight Dope] 01/27/2017 Dear Cecil: Why do we have to fill out a 1040 form? The IRS knows what most people owe. Why don’t they just send us a bill or a refund? — Scott Henderson Cecil replies: Some big-time politicians have had that same idea. “There's no reason the IRS can't send Americans pre-filled tax forms to verify,” one presidential hopeful insisted in 2007. Well, apparently there was some reason, because that same guy spent the last eight years in the Oval Office and you’ll still be fumbling with a 1040 sometime between now and April 15. For more, see: [ STRAIGHT DOPE STAFF REPORT — 05/27/2002 Dear Straight Dope: Between the Staff Report on the Bible and the PBS series on Rome in the first century, a long-dormant question arises: What was the result of the census ordered by Augustus that was the reason Joseph and Mary were headed toward Jerusalem? Just how many Romans were there? What did the census accomplish, if anything? — Still not sure about the 2000CE Census, David E Romm SDStaff Dex replies: This is going to be a lengthy report that doesn't actually answer your question. Well, not your first two questions about the result and the population. No records from that census survived, so we do not know what it showed. Contrary to popular belief, we actually have very little documentation from ancient Rome. We have a few histories that were deemed worthy enough to be copied over the centuries and thus preserved (such as the works of Tacitus), but no one would bother to copy old tax records, and the original parchments are long since rotted away. We can, however, answer your question of what the census accomplished: tax. And unrest For more, see: [ STRAIGHT DOPE CLASSIC — 04/30/2004 Dear Cecil: Recently a friend of the family had a heart attack. While he was in the hospital, they gave him nitroglycerin pills to stop the attack and ease his chest pains! I consider myself as having a rational mind, but the ingestion of explosives (no matter how small the amount) does not on the surface seem to be a great way to promote cardiovascular health! In fact, it would seem that nitro might have caused a few heart attacks (especially around the Fourth of July). How does nitroglycerin stop heart attacks? — Steve S., Salt Lake City Cecil replies: People nowadays are such wimps. If you're looking for strong medicine, how can you do better than a high explosive? The nitroglycerin in the pills, patches, and sprays that heart patients use for angina (chest pain) is in fact the same stuff you find in dynamite — the residue the drug leaves on patients' skin and clothing is often enough to set off airport bomb-sniffing machines. The medicinal dose is tiny and diluted with inert material, so it's completely nonexplosive; even so, nitroglycerin is one medicine I'd hesitate to shake before use. For more, see: [ YOUR AD HERE! Your direct line to thousands of the smartest, hippest people on the planet, plus a few total dipsticks. For rates and details contact Rich at [rhummel@suntimes.com]. Copyright © 2017 Sun-Times Media, LLC. This email was sent by The Straight Dope, Sun-Times Media, LLC., 350 N. Orleans, 10th Floor, Chicago, IL 60654 [Unsubscribe/update preferences] This email was sent to {EMAIL}. To change or update your newsletter subscription preferences, or to unsubscribe from all Chicago Reader and Straight Dope newsletters and promotional communications, [click here]. Please allow 72 hours for this change to take effect.