Every time I see this comment I wonder if that person has ever actually done taxes. Of course the IRS generally knows how much you owe, but we have so many freaking different types of tax exemptions and credits that you have to let them know if you qualify to get some of that money back. For example, how would they know if you had installed a solar panel on your house that year unless you tell them at tax time. But yes, our tax code is ridiculously complicated and should be simplified.