So it's tax time in the United States and it occurred to me that, when I file my taxes, I have to provide a lot of information that the government already knows. For instance, I have to provide the contents of my W-2 form, but my employer already sent the Internal Revenue Service a copy of my W-2. In fact, the most likely reason I would be audited is if the information I send them doesn't match the information I have on file.

Why doesn't the IRS just send me a "bill" for the taxes that I owe? In other words, why doesn't the IRS just save me the trouble of submitting information it already has and just tell me what I owe?

Obviously, there is some information I would still need to fill out, like self-employment income. But wouldn't it be easier, and save more money, to just have the IRS tell me the information it knows and, if I don't have any corrections, just have me write a check and send it back?