Bill Gates' Taxes Require Special Computer 428
NightWulf writes "News AU claims Bill Gates said in an interview, his fortune is so big, that the IRS needs a special computer, because a normal one can't handle the numbers. The IRS must have had to switch from PC's to Macs just for Gates."
You can't be serious. (Score:5, Informative)
Part of the problem is likely that Gates gives so much to the poor already. [gatesfoundation.org] He's the richest man in the world, but name someone that gives more money to the poor than he.
Re:W.ealth O.verload P.lanned R.esponse (Score:3, Informative)
Re:I don't buy it (Score:5, Informative)
Re:A joke? (Score:3, Informative)
Merrill Lynch, 1987, payroll system had same thing (Score:3, Informative)
WHO (Score:4, Informative)
It's probably a simple field length issue... (Score:1, Informative)
Obviously the corporate tax software architecture can handle larger numbers than the personal tax software, very believable from a software architecture that dates back to the late 60's.
Re:You can't be serious. (Score:3, Informative)
Name someone who has as much money to give as he has. If I had half as much money as Bill, I'd give more than he does.
I don't think it would be hard to find lots of people who give a larger percentage of thier wealth to the poor.
Some people give 'tell it hurts. I don't think Bill fells the pain.
I do remember Ted Turner giving $1 Billion over ten years [cnn.com] to the UN (a little less than a third his net worth at the time). The UN is not exactly "the poor" though.
Andrew Carnegie gave away 70% of his fortune
Don't get me wrong. I'm glad to see Bill give any money to charity, but one has to wonder with so much more money than he can use, why he doesn't give more.
Re:WHO (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Is this the Intel Math bug??? (Score:2, Informative)
Re:I don't buy it (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Separate System (Score:2, Informative)
I think the IRS should autocompute your taxes based on the information that companies send them about pay, interest, etc, and send you a summary in January. If there is nothing to do, just sit on it and your check/bill will come in April, or sign and return it (go to a website, etc) and get your refund check immediately. Otherwise you have until the normal reporting time to submit a form with deductions and/or a separate form for additional income not reported yet.
Now, this could be even simpler if the government would simply do away with all deductions and simplify the tax code. If the government wants to encourage people to go to college then they can give money to those people in ways other than a tax credit, or just give money directly to schools.
A simpler tax system would be:
No tax on the first 20,000 you make.
X% for the next 20K,
1.2*X% for the next 20K,
1.5*X% for the next 20K.
2*X% for the rest of your income.
The value of X is determined by that years spending. If the government spends 1 Trillion simoleons in 2004, the taxes for that year need to sum to 1 Trillion simoleons. This will put a lot of pressure on congress to only spend the amount needed, and it will make congressmen very wary of each others pork, because the bill for that huge bridge in Alaska will be paid by people outside of Alaska, and they will directly see the cost.
Finally, the IRS should provide a line item summary or receipt for each person who files their taxes. It should show the total amount of the taxes paid by that person for every line item in the federal budget (within reason). In other words, somewhere in the receipt for Joe Jackson in Mississippi, who paid $2500 in federal taxes this year, will be a line reading
"John Wastemore Memorial Bridge to Nowhere -- $4.25" and another reading
"Study on the effects of hormone injections with regard to the breeding practices of freshwater farm raised catfish -- $0.13" and even
"Preparation of receipts for every person filing taxes in previous fiscal year -- $1.03"
Re:That taxes requires a computer at all is a sham (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Nah, this is BS (Score:2, Informative)
Your answer presumes that Chuck Norris pays taxes. He is the only American that is able to scare the tax man away, simply by scaring him down. I hear Chuck doesn't even get mail (let alone the tax form delivered to his house). They have to use one of those remote controlled police SWAT robots to devlier his mail.
Too far? Yeah, I know. But Chuck doesn't know where I live..... (hope not!!).