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TurboTax Tricked You into Paying to File Your Taxes (2019)

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Re: TurboTax Tricked You into Paying to File Your Taxes (2019)

#11

Post by king_magic »

wombat-man wrote: post #6
minikites wrote: post #4

Imagine if the USA was like most other developed nations where the government just sends you a receipt for you to verify and your taxes are otherwise taken care of for you. Instead we have Intuit lobbying to make it as difficult as possible, aided by Republicans who want the process to be as unpleasant as possible so people begin to loathe the very concept of taxation (This isn't hyperbole, Grover Norquist and his nu…

I really don't mind paying taxes It drives me up the wall that we as a country have to all do this stupid homework assignment every year.

Exactly. I am more than happy to pay my fair share, which is considerable. But I am extremely not happy to have to fight through arcane, barely understandable accounting homework each year - and as a small business owner to boot, shell out a few hundred to a tax service to make sure I don't screw it up doing it myself.

It's absurd.

Re: TurboTax Tricked You into Paying to File Your Taxes (2019)

#12

Post by randrews »

civilized wrote: post #7
minikites wrote: post #4

Imagine if the USA was like most other developed nations where the government just sends you a receipt for you to verify and your taxes are otherwise taken care of for you. Instead we have Intuit lobbying to make it as difficult as possible, aided by Republicans who want the process to be as unpleasant as possible so people begin to loathe the very concept of taxation (This isn't hyperbole, Grover Norquist and his nu…

It speaks poorly of some on HN that you would be downvoted for making this argument, which is based on well-known, documented facts. Are there Intuit shills lurking this site?

It's because his comment is essentially "Republicans are evil and the US should be more like Europe." Even if you agree with that, by now you're probably tired of seeing it on every single thread everywhere.

Re: TurboTax Tricked You into Paying to File Your Taxes (2019)

#13

Post by wccrawford »

fatnoah wrote: post #3

I totally agree that making you pay to file when it should be free is scummy, but the linked article completely ignores that the first non-ad result is from the IRS page on how to file your taxes for free.

No it doesn't. Keep reading the article and they cover that.

Re: TurboTax Tricked You into Paying to File Your Taxes (2019)

#14

Post by solumos »

fatnoah wrote: post #3

I totally agree that making you pay to file when it should be free is scummy, but the linked article completely ignores that the first non-ad result is from the IRS page on how to file your taxes for free.

No, they talk about it in-depth about half-way down.

> The fifth link, a government site, looked like it would take us to the actual Free File program.

>

> But not so fast! When we clicked, and then clicked through to a second page, we found a whole new set of choices and restrictions. Each of the 12 companies that have signed on to the deal with the IRS offer their own Free File product. But they all have different requirements based on age, income and location.

Re: TurboTax Tricked You into Paying to File Your Taxes (2019)

#16

Post by Kneecaps07 »

I've been using the same non-free service for filing because it saves my info from the previous year and that simplifies the whole process. Filing the federal is free, and they charge something like $30 for filing state. I'm ok with paying it for the time-savings.

Re: TurboTax Tricked You into Paying to File Your Taxes (2019)

#17

Post by grayhatter »

qnk wrote: post #9
grayhatter wrote: post #2

We're sorry the answer to "why can't we have nice things" wasn't [political party], it was lobbyists . Lobbyists is the answer to, "why can't we have nice things"!

Honest question, how is lobbying different from bribery? Lobbyists go to Washington, spend fortunes on taking lawmakers to fancy dinners and then get away with what they want. Maybe I don't understand the process and am oversimplifying it, but that's how I see it.

That stuff is all just part of the game. The real issue with lobbyists is they appear to subject matter experts to the politicians. politicians who are not subject matter experts at almost anything generally find themselves believing what lobbyists say. The fact that they're whined and dined and made their time getting lectured enjoyable isn't really the problem so much as they are only getting half truths. The article has a perfect example where politicians say that it won't tie the hands of the IRS I'm sure they honestly believe that. The problem is that real subject matter experts tax lawyers say it will. but it doesn't matter The politicians have already believed something different. and it's much easier to con a man than convince he's been conned.

Re: TurboTax Tricked You into Paying to File Your Taxes (2019)

#18

Post by Someone1234 »

qnk wrote: post #9
grayhatter wrote: post #2

We're sorry the answer to "why can't we have nice things" wasn't [political party], it was lobbyists . Lobbyists is the answer to, "why can't we have nice things"!

Honest question, how is lobbying different from bribery? Lobbyists go to Washington, spend fortunes on taking lawmakers to fancy dinners and then get away with what they want. Maybe I don't understand the process and am oversimplifying it, but that's how I see it.

Fancy dinners, but also political donations. It is surprising how little money it takes to sway a politician in terms of donations.

Re: TurboTax Tricked You into Paying to File Your Taxes (2019)

#19

Post by NovemberWhiskey »

civilized wrote: post #7
minikites wrote: post #4

Imagine if the USA was like most other developed nations where the government just sends you a receipt for you to verify and your taxes are otherwise taken care of for you. Instead we have Intuit lobbying to make it as difficult as possible, aided by Republicans who want the process to be as unpleasant as possible so people begin to loathe the very concept of taxation (This isn't hyperbole, Grover Norquist and his nu…

It speaks poorly of some on HN that you would be downvoted for making this argument, which is based on well-known, documented facts. Are there Intuit shills lurking this site?

I've lived and paid taxes in three of the G7 countries, including the US.

For what it's worth, I've had to fill out tax assessment forms of greater-or-lesser complexity in all of them. The US is certainly the worst, but the trope that "all other major economies just take care of the tax for you" isn't exactly right.

Re: TurboTax Tricked You into Paying to File Your Taxes (2019)

#20

Post by alistairSH »

wombat-man wrote: post #6
minikites wrote: post #4

Imagine if the USA was like most other developed nations where the government just sends you a receipt for you to verify and your taxes are otherwise taken care of for you. Instead we have Intuit lobbying to make it as difficult as possible, aided by Republicans who want the process to be as unpleasant as possible so people begin to loathe the very concept of taxation (This isn't hyperbole, Grover Norquist and his nu…

I really don't mind paying taxes It drives me up the wall that we as a country have to all do this stupid homework assignment every year.

Agreed. Living in a functioning society, in the "western" world, is pretty nice and I'm happy to pay for it.

But, having to spend a day or more every March, or pay a CPA a few hundred dollars, is infuriating. My taxes aren't that complicated - two upper middle class salaries, a normal (for dense suburb) mortgage, and no kid at home any more (he flew the coop 3 years ago).

Outside of the years we were impacted by AMT (a whole other rant), the IRS knows exactly what we earn, what we've paid to date, and determining our mortgage obligation should be trivial (submission from bank to IRS or similar). They should just mail me an index card that says "your good!" or "you still owe $1200" or similar and that's that.

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