431–440 of 466 posts
Yes, they are hiding the free option, similarly to how Google for example was hiding the free option for the Gsuite - you had to dig for it in the menu.
Plus there are multiple alternatives.
What's wrong with a company using little tricks and dark patterns to nudge more people into paying for their service?
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Conversely, people opposed to TurboTax could get their own lobbyist and do the same thing.
As I said in another comment, no one cares about free taxes as much as TurboTax cares about not having free taxes. It is a minor annoyance to every citizen, but it is life or death for TurboTax. The people who are hurt by not having free taxes certainly can't afford lobbyists, and even if they could... they would have to spend so much more than they pay in tax preparation fees for their whole life to compete with Tur…
If they can afford TurboTax, they can afford the lobbyist.
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I suggest we stop taking taxes out of paychecks and have people pay their full taxes once a year. It would help them see the total amount of taxes they pay. It would have a positive effect on government policy.
You can already see this on your pay stub (if you look at it, I know I don't bother with mine) In principle I like your suggestion but in actuality I think many Americans will not like their "yearly tax bill." Just think about people who are already living paycheck to paycheck; not saving much, or just overall spending every penny that comes into their bank account. They would be in trouble come April if they had to…
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Your point about how the IRS already has all of the relevant information is something that has always puzzled me. Why are we performing this bizarre, ever-changing ritual with the threat of IRS audits hanging over us if they already know everything? I think that is part of why TurboTax has such a foothold. I use it because it walks me through the frankly byzantine process and explains a good deal of the arcane termin…
The IRS doesn’t have all the relevant information though. A lot of deductions and credits are based on events or transactions that aren’t reported to the IRS. State and local tax deduction, charity deduction, medical expense deduction, and so on. There are also various penalties that need to be self reported - the IRS can find them, but only if they do an audit and are looking through bank accounts and other stuff th…
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Your point about how the IRS already has all of the relevant information is something that has always puzzled me. Why are we performing this bizarre, ever-changing ritual with the threat of IRS audits hanging over us if they already know everything? I think that is part of why TurboTax has such a foothold. I use it because it walks me through the frankly byzantine process and explains a good deal of the arcane termin…
TurboTax creates the problem and then sells the solution.
Sadly you can't even file a simple quarterly estimate tax return online without paying a fee. If you want to do it for free, you have to print it out & mail it. Not sure how that benefits citizens or the IRS. Intuit's main argument has always been that if the government provided such a service many people would overpay their taxes. Honestly it's much cheaper, easier & better to just find a good accountant to do your…
This is tax payer's problem, not tax office's.
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As I said in another comment, no one cares about free taxes as much as TurboTax cares about not having free taxes. It is a minor annoyance to every citizen, but it is life or death for TurboTax. The people who are hurt by not having free taxes certainly can't afford lobbyists, and even if they could... they would have to spend so much more than they pay in tax preparation fees for their whole life to compete with Tur…
Collectively, people spend billions annually on TurboTax. They could, instead, all chip in $25 for their own lobbyist, if they cared enough to not spend $100 on TurboTax. If they can afford TurboTax, they can afford the lobbyist.
You might say that you should donate out to the fund out of moral principle of a just cause, but there are a million just causes, a million small rent seeking industries that do this sort of thing. Which of them do I donate to fight against? Why income tax and not one of the others?
TurboTax is going to be willing to spend a LOT of money to fight this... you are going to have to get a LOT of people to choose your moral cause, and donate to the PAC.... and then find even more when TurboTax spends even more on lobbying to counteract your PAC. Who is going to give up first?
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The danish tax authority is called skat. It has a double meaning of taxes and loved one, it's as if the German one was called Schatz/Schätzle, I think it's cute.
Isn't skat more like treasure that's also used for people? At least that's how it is in Norwegian. No idea why taxes use the same word, it sure so in Norwegian too.
As an extension of schat we also have schatkist, which means treasure chest, which is also used as the translation for treasury.
When I look up the meaning of schat the dictionary says: A large collection of valuables. I see how an organization gets named after the very thing they are supposed to handle.
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My complaint is with 'government-run businesses', which will always have such issues. It stems from not being responsible for efficiency or profitability.
Why is profitability important for a government-run entity?