Howard -- I completely agree with your point. Why there needs to be an industry -- a real industry, not just a cottage industry of useful accountants -- that has sprung up around the personal income tax makes no sense at all. Tax lobbyists are sure to point out that every line on our tax return, and every form we need to file, is based either on a particular issue or a particular constituency. And now the entire tax-filing public gets to pay the price in professional services and personal time. Since your post is centered on the preparatin and filing of personal income taxes, I'm one of those folks who prepare and file a paper return. I would happily file electronically, but why, oh why, do I need to use some commercial third party source to do that. I resent the idea that essential government functions such as the collection of tax payments are supposed to be farmed out to the profit-seeking corners of the private sector.