Tax code growth, circa 2011

Could we finally be hitting the wall when it comes to the growth of the U.S. tax code?

Now I"m not saying get your hopes up, but the latest CCH graphic depiction of how unwieldy the tax code is seems to indicate that things have slowed somewhat in recent years.

Graphic copyright & courtesy CCH, Inc.; Click here or on image for larger view.

Each year, CCH offers a visual of the number of pages in its Standard Federal Tax Reporter. That's the tax publisher's flagship product, which covers a wide range of federal income tax rules.

From 2009 to 2010, the CCH publication increased by only 1,364 pages. The number of pages is even smaller, just 852, from its 2010 edition to the current 2011 volume.

Yes, the Reporter does have more than the actual tax code language, which is why the book is larger than the Internal Revenue Code itself, the length of which, by the way, no one seems to know for sure.

And in this digital age where you can find the tax code online, its precise length is really of little consequence. Nobody, save for perhaps the most dedicated tax geek, needs or wants to read every single provision.

But the visual of how many pages it takes for a major tax publisher to elaborate on U.S. tax laws is a good indicator of what it takes to understand our tax laws.

And that's a mighty big number!

Related posts:

• The ever-growing tax code
• The out-of-control tax code
• A complex tax code works for me
• National Taxpayer Advocate is a fan of major tax system overhaul
• Deficit commission tax overhaul, take 2
• Is it time for tax reform?
• Taxpayer Advocacy Panel seeks new members

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