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FTC Is Investigating Intuit over TurboTax Practices

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Re: FTC Is Investigating Intuit over TurboTax Practices

#191

Post by HumblyTossed »

diggernet wrote: post #161
HumblyTossed wrote: post #146

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Why doesn't the IRS just have a web app like turbotax for everyone Because capitalism blah blah. The government isn't supposed to compete with businesses.

Providing a web app to interact with the government is rightfully a government job. We should not need a business to act as an intermediary between us and our government. The "FreeFile" agreement should be abandoned, and the IRS (and states) should set up services for everyone to use.

I completely, 100% agree with you.

Re: FTC Is Investigating Intuit over TurboTax Practices

#192

Post by ac29 »

squeaky-clean wrote: post #138
tvb12 wrote: post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If I remember correctly, you have to go through the IRS freefile page (here: https://apps.irs.gov/app/freeFile/ ) to get to the "real" free version of turbotax. The link to the "free edition" on the main page of their site, confusingly, is something else. Turbotax's income limit for free filing is really low, though. Max income of $36,000.

I make more than that and didn't have to pay to file electronically. I downloaded turbotax through the iOS app store, using the app store search. Is this specifically for 1099 workers or something? (I get a W-2) Edit, did some searching and it's completely free if you're able to file via a 1040EZ, which I'm pretty sure was my method. I don't know too much about tax filing though, so maybe I'm confused about things (I…

1040EZ was eliminated in tax year 2018: https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-1040-ez

Re: FTC Is Investigating Intuit over TurboTax Practices

#193

Post by masklinn »

TheJoeMan wrote: post #148
swiley wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I thought the official IRS form filler was discontinued? Does this just take you to another intuit competitor? EDIT: it just sends you to the free version of turbo tax and has links for the competitors heh

What’s crazy is there is a tier of Turbotax called “Free” (not free if you make almost any money) and “Free File” (actually free)

It’s not crazy, the entire point is to avoid use of Free File by any means possible.

Re: FTC Is Investigating Intuit over TurboTax Practices

#194

Post by Broken_Hippo »

ceejayoz wrote: post #151
rootusrootus wrote: post #110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> This method of "filing taxes" makes it easy to comply with filing and I'm guessing it makes collection rates better with less work. This is by design, in the US the anti-tax crowd wants filing taxes to be harder and more inefficient. It serves their purposes. And they are a powerful lobbying group.

I'm not sure why you're being downvoted. In 2005, Grover Norquist had this to say: > Doing taxes keeps citizens aware of the tax burden imposed upon them by the government. https://theweek.com/articles/825902/how-republicans-trapped-...

So does your paycheck stub, though (or more currently, the paper you get each time you are paid).

Re: FTC Is Investigating Intuit over TurboTax Practices

#195

Post by Broken_Hippo »

OJFord wrote: post #164
andybak wrote: post #141

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In the UK that's normally also done for you. Only in exceptional circumstances does a normal waged employee have to have anything to do with taxes. Until I was self-employed in my 30s I never filled out a tax form. Some people never do. You're being swindled in the US.

I don't envy it at all either - but it's also because theirs is so much more complicated that even if you consider it broadly the same principle, far more Americans fall into the needing to self-assess (as we call it) category since, for example, they have 'a whole bunch of deductibles'.

IIRC, the vast majority of americans use 1040 and 1040EZ. Both of these can be automated.

Norway just asks upfront. Yes, I have to try to predict what I'm going to make that year, but yes, I can update it if I change jobs. Marriage, children, etc all gets factored in. If I don't change things, I think it stays the same. The vast majority of folks don't have to self-assess like Americans do, and thinking that we need to do it more seems to be more leaning towards an attitude of Exceptionalism - which seems to be just as much an excuse as it is something folks have pride in.

Re: FTC Is Investigating Intuit over TurboTax Practices

#196

Post by Sohcahtoa82 »

andybak wrote: post #141
oconnor663 wrote: post #115

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe this is already clear, but in the US "tax witholding" done by your employer is mandatory for most people. So all the paperwork we do at filing time is just to compute the difference between what was withheld and what you owe.

In the UK that's normally also done for you. Only in exceptional circumstances does a normal waged employee have to have anything to do with taxes. Until I was self-employed in my 30s I never filled out a tax form. Some people never do. You're being swindled in the US.

> You're being swindled in the US.

We're being swindled in the US by a lot of things. Tax prep as you mentioned, but also health care guaranteed sick pay, fair minimum wages, etc...

But half the country is actually in favor of maintaining all this.

Re: FTC Is Investigating Intuit over TurboTax Practices

#197

Post by aschatten »

scott_s wrote: post #75
supernova87a wrote: post #72

Why are we bothering with the small potatoes in the room (TurboTax not putting URLs to free tax filing, etc. etc) when the elephant is: "Why isn't the IRS giving people a way to prepopulate and file taxes for free with the financial info that the IRS already has on everyone?" Well, I suppose it's just a product of the corporate interests and congressional deadlock that prevents us from doing a multitude of things rig…

Because we know the answer: the IRS is prevented from doing that by law. Lobbied by Intuit. If you google around, you can find stories on it. edit: save_ferris linked to an excellent story below: https://www.propublica.org/article/filing-taxes-could-be-fre...

Free File Act the article talks about was not passed and did not make it out of the Committee.

A similar bill was passed in 2019: https://www.propublica.org/article/congress-is-about-to-ban-...

Re: FTC Is Investigating Intuit over TurboTax Practices

#198

Post by supernova87a »

IshKebab wrote: post #142
supernova87a wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Given how much our system taxes based on brackets and deductions, etc that are only apparent at the end of a year, that is probably not possible for the bulk of tax revenue. Also, people have many, many different thoughts on VAT, etc.

Erm, loads of countries don't require employees to file taxes. Your employer takes care of it for you. If you have an unusual tax situation you have to do it still, but 99% of people just have 1 job with 1 salary.

A lot of people have stocks, mortgage deductions, credits, etc. that cannot be computed by your employer and filed automatically.
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