New book exposes how endless paperwork drains Americans' time
Annie Lowrey’s book "The Time Tax" argues that complex government forms cost citizens billions of hours each year, especially hurting low-income people.
In "The Time Tax," Annie Lowrey details how Jeff Miller’s encounter with a state motor-vehicle office led to wrongful felony labeling, requiring him to gather passports, birth certificates and a confirming letter from New Jersey, only to be flagged again elsewhere. She cites federal data indicating Americans devote more than 12 billion hours each year to government forms, a labor cost estimated at $430 billion. Lowrey counts at least 91,476 distinct governmental entities, each imposing its own rules, and notes that the heaviest paperwork load falls on poor, sick and disabled individuals like Utah single mother Marcella Patino.
The book highlights extreme examples such as a Michigan benefits form asking for weight, hair color and conception details. Lowrey points to Estonia’s single-entry digital system as a model, and to Michigan’s 2018 redesign that reduced application length by 80 percent, slashing completion time from 40 to 16 minutes and raising approval rates to 94 percent.
Why it matters
Understanding the scale of bureaucratic burdens helps voters assess reforms that could free up time and resources for citizens.
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