Form Filling's NOT Chilling

Total time spent in doing federal paperwork was 8.4 billion hours annually in fiscal 2005 (October 2004 to September 2005), up about 440 million hours or 5% from the year before, according to the Office of Management and Budget. About half of the increase came from the new prescription drug program with anti-spam regulations also adding over 100 million hours. OMB further estimates that paperwork will grow an additional 300 million hours in fiscal 2006. IRS contributes the largest total number of hours--spokesperson Beth Tucker asserts that the agency is attempting to mitigate paperwork but can only significantly reduce paperwork if substantative tax simplification occurs.

While paperwork is a form of clutter which reduces national efficiency, it also is a necessary part of regulating and protecting society and assuring that Congress' will (presumably the will of the people) is carried out. Ultimately, therefore, paperwork will continue as a necessary evil at best and social cost at worst as long as the American people view the benefits of big government to at least be as significant as the cost of big government.