TAXES

Why do old people have to pay income taxes when living on a fixed income?   Yesterday, with much frustration I completed our 2020 federal and state income tax returns showing us with an income half way between the poverty rate and the average income for a household of two.    It seems like a complete waste of time for both us and the government to assemble all the different forms, bank statements, social security and pension statements and figure out our net income after taking the standard deductions, which does not seem to take in the rising medical costs or depreciation of our aging bodies.  The yearly cost-of -living increase usually never amounts to a net income gain as the increase in health and Medicare premiums take all that away and more.   With the tax withheld from my pension it covers the amount we owe for both federal and state taxes, plus give us a small refund which is just enough to pay for the online tax service that does all the calculations and filing.     I believe the tax preparation services are the only parties making any money out of this madness, sure isn't the government.