I am not aware of any taxpayer that has actually read the entire tax code, nor do I suspect has anyone done so that is employed by the Internal Revenue Service, although I concede it might be possible. However, simply reading nearly 4,000,000 words is not the same as comprehending the impact and the immense permutations of said words. By definition, our tax code should not be greater in length than the entire Bible, which comes in at just over 800,000 words and is arguably the greatest story ever told. The IRS tax code, on the other hand, is something that is an amalgamation and an abomination made up of inputs from bureaucrats, lobbyists, busybodies, politicians, lawyers, malicious individuals, and just plain fools.
Anytime you come across something that is purposely complicated, filled with double-speak, in addition to endless loops and loopholes, you must seriously suspect that there is an overriding reason for such garbage in the first place. That reason is as follows, which is that our tax code is meant to ensnare the unsuspecting, the unconnected, the average American, while on the other hand it serves the purpose to liberate particular corporate industries, certain protected individuals, and those that are masters of influence and manipulation.
When a code is so complicated that the people that have to enact the law, don't really understand it, this is all that is needed for sophisticated lawyers and accountants to either create exceptions for their solicited clients to take advantage of, or to cast doubt as to the validity of a certain tax code in comparison to another tax code which negates it or contradicts it. The long and short of it is the suckers pay their taxes in full, while the real players of this country do not.
Not only is the tax code long and convoluted, the tax code itself is never stagnant, and instead it is always changing, mutating, and being re-interpreted. This is great for those experts in sleight-of-hand that are able to modify or amend certain portions of the code for their benefit, without the purveyors of the tax code itself, really understanding what they have just done or enacted.
The bottom line is, our tax code doesn't need to be nearly 4,000,000 words, and it doesn't need to be played with, toyed with, twisted, turned, or tossed around. Our tax code, instead, should be straightforward and to the point. However, there is one significant problem to the simplifying of our tax code; the vested interests of our land would never permit it. This essentially means that there will be no relief for the common man now or in the near future from the tax mess that must be dealt with on a continuous basis. While some may argue that the tax code is fair to our Constitutional principles, because it is our tax code, issued by our government and approved, or at a minimum accepted by the people, the truth is far, far different. The truth is that our tax code is not uniformly applied in a consistent and democratic manner, but instead it is a code that favors some and bludgeons many.