According to a March survey, 17% of millennials—my generation—are thinking about not filing taxes this year. Why? They believe IRS job cuts mean they're less likely to get caught.
Here's the reality: the IRS probably already knows how much money you made. Most workers earn W-2 income and receive 1099s. Copies of these documents go directly to the IRS.
If you don't file, their automated system will:
Assess your tax liability without your input (no deductions!)
Add penalties automatically
Charge interest that compounds daily
Do all this without a single human reviewing your case
That's precisely why compliance with W-2 and 1099 income is so high. There's nowhere to hide this income.
Not filing doesn't just trigger penalties—it prevents the statute of limitations from starting. Instead of the normal three-year review period, the IRS can come after you indefinitely.
The real compliance challenges exist at the upper-income levels, where complex situations exist. These areas have legal gray zones that require human auditors to investigate.
Sorry to say it, but if you're reading this, you're almost certainly not at that level.
Skipping filing your taxes is walking into an automated trap that doesn't require human intervention to catch you.
Real tax strategies exist. Focus on maximizing legitimate deductions and credits instead of playing a losing game with automated systems designed to find exactly this kind of non-compliance.
