We should all be able to e-file our income taxes for free

WASHINGTON » With hours to go before Monday’s midnight tax filing deadline, the IRS online account system was down, so a message was posted for users that said: “We’re sorry, due to incresed traffic, this service may be temporarily unavailable.”

And no, that wasn’t my typo for the word increased. The note to taxpayers misspelled increased. I’m assuming someone was so rushed to type the notification that they inevitably introduced an error, providing a metaphor for the way we taxpayers feel -- overwhelmed, frustrated and mad as hell.

That typo symbolized a U.S. tax filing system that is faulty, with a weary staff shouldering an enormous workload.

People pay to get their tax returns prepared because the 1040 form -- and most IRS schedules and forms -- are incomprehensible to a normal person. You can’t easily reach a live person at the IRS to ask even the most basic question. Millions of returns are stuck in a backlog, fueling the wrath of folks akin to those in torment in the fifth circle of hell in Dante’s “Inferno.”

Why wouldn’t the IRS have enough capacity to handle lastminute inquiries from taxpayers trying to find the information they need to file their returns?

People were redirected to another system to make tax payments, with a warning that if they couldn’t use the IRS online payment system, they were still responsible for getting their payments in on time.

What, by carrier pigeon?

In the past, many U.S. Postal Service offices around the country were open until midnight on the April deadline, with staff sometimes lined up outside to take and postmark tax returns from people who didn’t need to leave their vehicles. How many folks greeted with that online message about timely payments just gave up and didn’t file or pay?

Google Trends reported that the top search on tax day each year is: “How do I file for a tax extension?”

Of course there was going to be increased traffic on the big day, which is something the agency should be able to plan for to avoid disruptions in access. And it’s not just procrastinators trying to look at their accounts. I’ve heard from dozens of readers who were having trouble efiling leading up to the April 18 deadline. Many people said they tried to use their IRS online account to double-check their 2020 adjusted gross income, so they could file electronically.

The tales of woe from taxpayers were abundant.