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TurboTax Hides Its Free File Page from Search Engines

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Re: TurboTax Hides Its Free File Page from Search Engines

#271

Post by OkGoDoIt »

vonmoltke wrote: post #176
bunderbunder wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Correction: 100% of taxpayers are eligible for free filing, and 70% of them are eligible for free electronic filing. The options out there for free e-filing are hardly any better than the paper option, though. They're typically just the paper forms translated very directly into an electronic fill-in form. You're still left to your own to make sense of all the byzantine rules and instructions, and to grind through it…

> Correction: 100% of taxpayers are eligible for free filing, and 70% of them are eligible for free electronic filing. Actually, 100% of taxpayers are eligible for free electronic filing. 70% are eligible for free filing software that calculates everything for you. The other 30% just get fillable forms. See https://www.irs.gov/filing/free-file-do-your-federal-taxes-f...

It’s my understanding that you can’t personally electronically file taxes unless you go through one of the free file software providers. As someone who makes W-2, 1099, and stock market income, I have never found a way to file for free unless I fill out and print the forms manually and mail them in. I would love to be wrong though.

Re: TurboTax Hides Its Free File Page from Search Engines

#272

Post by winter_blue »

mortgagemonster wrote: post #54
maxmcd wrote: post #34

I learned a little while ago that H&R Block makes a substantial amount of its revenue from "refund anticipation loans" (no citation, I couldn't find it here: https://investors.hrblock.com/static-files/4293dedf-951d-454... maybe my information is overblown). Is there a reason there isn't a "Robin Hood for Taxes"? A service that makes all of its revenue off of refund anticipation loads and provides all tax services for…

Credit Karma does legitimately free filing

I'm a big fan of Credit Karma, but one huge stickler I have with them is that they block you if you're in a foreign country. You have to use a VPN. I check my credit reports through them regularly, and I had to use a VPN while traveling.

I mean, they're not the only ones who do this. Sprint completely blocks you off, if your IP is from a foreign country. And they seem to be using a system that can detect VPNs, so with popular VPNs, you still can't access sprint.com. Ref: https://www.reddit.com/r/Sprint/comments/aweu0u/cant_access_...

Re: TurboTax Hides Its Free File Page from Search Engines

#274

Post by nabakin »

linsomniac wrote: post #223
nabakin wrote: post #217

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It doesn't add anything to the discussion either. Might be against HN's rules. Edit: not in line with the guidelines at least First paragraph > Be kind. Don't be snarky. Comments should get more thoughtful and substantive, > Eschew flamebait. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html I'd flag, but I don't see the option.

I honestly don't see it. I wouldn't call it unkind or snarky, I wouldn't call it flamebait. It's funny, it brings to light a, I would say significant, problem with the system we have. One of those "It's funny but it makes you think" situations. And it's sparked quite a bit of thoughtful comment. Help me understand.

Oh yeah I misunderstood the definition of flamebait. It did create discussion (mostly about how you were inaccurate/wrong), but it itself wasnt very thoughtful. You used rhetoric/mocked to stir up people's feelings which puts down opposing views and makes them seem like nonsense even if they are logical arguments, just like reddit. I don't find it HN-worthy

Re: TurboTax Hides Its Free File Page from Search Engines

#275

Post by nabakin »

dang wrote: post #248
nabakin wrote: post #217

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It doesn't add anything to the discussion either. Might be against HN's rules. Edit: not in line with the guidelines at least First paragraph > Be kind. Don't be snarky. Comments should get more thoughtful and substantive, > Eschew flamebait. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html I'd flag, but I don't see the option.

Flagging requires karma > 30. Then you can click on a comment's timestamp to go to its page, where you'll find a 'flag' link.

Ty, didn't know about the karma

Re: TurboTax Hides Its Free File Page from Search Engines

#276

Post by nabakin »

Terr_ wrote: post #243
linsomniac wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ok folks, I get it. :-) This was a caricature of the process, and as such there are some inaccuracies. But the core of it that "makes you think", has some ounce of truth to it. I'll agree, my interactions with the IRS have gone extremely smoothly when there have been problems.

> But the core of it that "makes you think" Unfortunately the same can be said of all sort sorts of fake news stuff: "OK, so it's false, but the idea is important or it happened somewhere else..."

True, and there are plenty of ways to make people think that aren't founded on inaccuracy and rhetoric

Re: TurboTax Hides Its Free File Page from Search Engines

#277

Post by thedragonline »

JohnFen wrote: post #269
Demiurge wrote: post #268

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Congratulations, very few people can say the same.

Maybe, maybe not. A not insignificant percentage of my colleagues can say the same. My point is that everyone can, and does, decide this sort of thing for themselves. Very few people are actually, no matter how much they may think they are, trapped -- particularly at this point in time in our industry. At worst, it's a matter of how much disruption and discomfort they're willing to put up with to adhere to their prin…

When most are sitting in the long tail of wealth/income distributions, then maybe is the likelier answer.
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