The Agenda  NRO’s domestic-policy blog, by Reihan Salam.  Many
Happy (Tax) Returns   The expiration of the payroll tax cut has
reduced the disposable income of a large majority of wage-
earning U.S. households, yet it does not appear to have had a
significant impact on consumption. Brad Plumer cites a survey
which finds that while 30 percent of Americans have reduced
their spending in response to the expiration of the payroll tax
cut, 48 percent have yet to register its expiration.  This came
to mind as I read Liz Day’s new story on how Intuit, the company
that makes TurboTax and a wide array of other consumer financial
software products, has lobbied against “return-free filing,” in
which the government draws on data from employers and banks to
determine tax liability. The idea is that taxpayers will then be
issued completed tax returns, which can be corrected as
necessary. This voluntary default option would greatly reduce
the compliance burden associated with income taxes.   Another
way of looking at return-