Land of the free, home of the forms

Want to apply for federal nutrition assistance in Louisiana? Be ready to turn over a maddening amount of information: proof that you live in the state, records of earned and unearned income, documents showing assets and resources, utility bills, information about dependent children, bank statements, vehicle details—and more.

The big picture: Those demands help illustrate a calculation in a new book about how much time Americans waste navigating bureaucracy, a burden that looks especially unnecessary compared with countries that deliver public services efficiently and make routine tasks, including filing taxes, remarkably simple.

Why it matters: Americans know that federal, state and local governments produce enough red tape to drive people to despair, from Louisiana’s broken vehicle-licensing system to the federal government’s needlessly complicated income-tax system.

• When government doesn’t work, people don’t believe they’re getting their money’s worth.
• That makes them less willing to pay for services that could benefit everyone.

The details: In her new book, The Time Tax, Atlantic writer Annie Lowrey says:

• Americans spend five times as much time filling out government forms as people in England.
• The overall burden of red tape has reached a record 4½ working days per American.
• Even though most people have straightforward finances, many must hire tax professionals to file their returns.

Why so: Lowrey traces part of the problem to an unexpected source: barriers erected after the Civil War to make it harder for Black veterans to claim benefits, and the longevity of American democracy, which has allowed centuries of rules and regulations to pile on top of one another.

• She blames Democrats and Republicans alike, arguing that each party has its own priorities that add to the paperwork bureaucrats must create to satisfy politicians. Republicans think voters are cheats; Democrats pass rules for more services.

But wait, there’s hope: Newer countries, along with those forced to rebuild their governments after wars, often operate far more efficiently, she says. In some, filing a tax return takes only minutes.

Another ray of hope: Governments are turning to AI to break through their own backlogs.

• In Baton Rouge, the Department of Public Works wants to use cameras mounted on vehicles to identify and categorize blight, reducing its reliance on residents and employees to report problems individually.

The bottom line: Americans are missing out on benefits and running in circles while trying to complete simple tasks, thanks in part to politicians who make government harder for the people they serve. But there’s hope: AI could help cut through the red tape before it destroys us all.