| Respondents: 399 |
| Taxes have long been a source of frustration for the self-employed. With
April 15th looming, a spotlight is shined on the need for reforming our federal
tax system. The National Association for the Self-Employed has long supported
tax simplification and tax fairness for micro-businesses. Please take this short
member survey regarding your opinions on federal tax reform. |
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1. How do you prepare your taxes? | 55% | I use a tax practitioner/ account | | 09% | I utilize electronic filing | | 28% | I utilize tax software on my computer | | 05% | I calculate my taxes and fill out the forms by hand | | 03% | Other | | 00% | Do Not Know | |
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2. Approximately how many hours do you spend preparing your taxes? (Check
only one) | 27% | 1 – 5 hours | | 15% | 5 - 7 hours | | 15% | 8 - 10 hours | | 07% | 10 - 15 hours | | 08% | 15 – 20 hours | | 07% | 21 – 25 hours | | 03% | 26 – 30 hours | | 05% | 31 – 40 hours | | 03% | 41 – 50 hours | | 00% | 51- 75 hours | | 0% | 76 – 99 hours | | 01% | Over 100 hours | | 07% | Do Not Know | |
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3. Which factor below do you feel is the most burdensome aspect of the
federal tax code? (Check only one) | 07% | Amount of paperwork you must fill out | | 35% | The complexity of the tax code and tax forms | | 12% | The lack of consistency/ continuously changing regulations | | 19% | The tax rates/ how much in taxes you must pay | | 11% | The inequality within the tax code | | 05% | Other | | 11% | No opinion | |
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4. Please indicate whether you are in favor of or oppose the following
proposals that have been suggested to reform the federal tax code. | | | | | Favor | Oppose | Do Not Know | | 1. | Simplify
current tax system by removing unfair regulations. | 81% | 03% | 15% | | 2. | Simplify
the current tax system, by minimizing tax forms and creating easier
instructions. | 85% | 06% | 10% | | 3. | Replace
the current income-based tax system with a national retail sales tax, which
would tax goods and services. | 41% | 31% | 28% | | 4. | Replace
the current income-based tax system with the Value-Added Tax (VAT) system. | 15% | 26% | 59% | | 5. | Replace
the current personal and corporate tax system with a flat tax which would allow
families and businesses to pay one set tax rate on their wage and pension
income. | 49% | 22% | 29% | | 6. | Keep
the current system but enhance existing and create additional targeted tax
credits and/or deductions for the self-employed and micro-business. | 44% | 30% | 26% | |
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