WASHINGTON, Sept. 2 (UPI) -- Doing taxes has become more complicated and time-consuming under U.S. President Bush, the Economic Policy Institute think tank said Thursday.
The IRS, looking at how long it would typically take taxpayers to fill out all their federal tax forms, estimated that it took people 1 hour and 29 minutes longer to do their taxes in 2003 than in 2002.
If taxpayers filed every form associated with the 1040 -- which no taxpayer does -- it would take 3 hours and 8 minutes longer in 2003 than it would have in 2000.
The IRS is required by law to estimate how much time it takes per year, on average, for taxpayers to keep the records, learn the tax law, and prepare and mail each tax form.
"Although the benefits of the tax cuts themselves have been skewed to those with higher incomes, the increased time spent filling out forms has been more democratically distributed," EPI, which describes itself as a nonpartisan think tank, said in a statement.
