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instructions required me to place a form X number in blank Y. Those dollar signs just had no place in the software fields available. After I called the bank for a little help and followed the instructions, I put in a few numbers, clicked, and arrived at a screen that warned me of the dangers of reporting foreign investment income correctly. I had none.

This popular software sent me into a loop just like a rollercoaster. Change one number and arrive back at the first screen. By the time it had created something that looked like a tax return, I was afraid to save it. I twitched a few more times and reluctantly printed my Form 1040.

Well, February 1 has passed, and we should be out shopping for new software. Considering the awful stuff I used last year, I'm confident I could design income tax software I'd call ScanTax.

The name of the software should reflect how simple it is for the average person to use. Using my program would allow taxpayers to completely bypass the problem of interpreting any obscure numbers some clerk at a financial institution has mailed them.

All you would need to do is place all your W-2s and investment statements on a scanner, one at a time. Hit the scan button, and your problems are over except for writing the check for what you might owe. The software will take one look at your numbers, shudder, and then plunk them onto the right line in the correct electronic form.

After about 10 minutes of whirring and grinding (during which you could do your nails or surf a few channels), out pops your Federal return, followed by one for each state in which you're filing this year.

Now the irony of all this is that if I had a patent for ScanTax, I'd have so much money, I could buy a CPA actually worth his salt.

Learn more about this author, Vonda Sines.
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