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> The bottom line is there still is enough complexity that this needs to be done manually

I would have said "The bottom line is there is still enough complexity that this needs to be done by machine".

We have machines simulating weather patterns. Is tax code that much more complicated?




But does the weatherman go to jail if the forecast is wrong?

There is a steady stream of people writing "Google's automatic system screwed me and I cannot get it fixed" blog posts. If Google's automated system screws people, just imagine how effective the government's system will be.


Weather patterns are just a matter of applying some relatively simple rules a huge number of times. Taxes, by contrast, require clever parsing of the meaning of words and the intent behind them. Figuring out exactly what counts as "education" for instance.




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