June 1, 2006 2:20PM 

# Saving Trees, Wasting Brain Power 

By [Chris Edwards](https://www.cato.org/people/chris-edwards) 

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For the first time, General Electric has [filed its corporate tax return electronically](http://www.wftv.com/news/9303402/detail.html?treets=orlc&tid=2655159685813&tml=orlc_strange&tmi=orlc_strange_1_10000506012006&ts=H).

GE’s return consumed 237 megabytes of computer storage space, but apparently saved a small forest from being clear-cut to print an eight-foot high, 24,000-page stack of tax forms. That’s progress I suppose, but we’re still waiting for those dim bulbs in Congress to recognize that major tax reforms are needed so that American businesses can focus on “bringing good things to life” rather than slaving over endless government “paperwork.”

##### Related Tags 

[General](https://www.cato.org/general), [Tax and Budget Policy](https://www.cato.org/tax-budget-policy) 

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