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Show HN: ustaxes.org – open-source tax filing webapp

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Re: Show HN: ustaxes.org – open-source tax filing webapp

#61

Post by philjohn »

vages wrote: post #55
benhurmarcel wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You'd be hard-pressed to find any other developed country than the US where it's not similar to that.

Great! Do you have an example of a form from your home country (assuming you don't live in the US)?

UK here - the forms are here: https://www.gov.uk/self-assessment-forms-and-helpsheets

Unless you have a very special circumstance (e.g. you're a Lloyds of London name) you can file online through the HMRC website which does all of the calculations for you and is mostly just a case of entering a few figures from your P60 and P11D for the vast majority of people.

Re: Show HN: ustaxes.org – open-source tax filing webapp

#62

Post by benhurmarcel »

vages wrote: post #55
benhurmarcel wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You'd be hard-pressed to find any other developed country than the US where it's not similar to that.

Great! Do you have an example of a form from your home country (assuming you don't live in the US)?

In France for example, when it's time to declare your income you receive an email (or a letter if you prefer). You log in with your fiscal number and password, and get an online form where you can declare any type of income. For most people, the numbers are pre-filled (communicated by the employer). You can modify them, check your bank account IBAN for paying/refunds, and validate.

In Spain it's the same, except unfortunately they don't notify you when it's time (although the whole country has a month to do it so you can't really miss it). Also their login system is a bit more complicated than a password, they have a special 2FA system you need to setup in person.

There are no calculations to do, you just enter your incomes and deductions by type and it calculates your taxes for you.

In both cases, you can also use a mobile app for all of that. And you can choose to do it on paper, by physical mail.

Re: Show HN: ustaxes.org – open-source tax filing webapp

#63

Post by ollifi »

mads wrote: post #43
emptysongglass wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In Denmark I just call the tax authority and ask them to do my taxes for me. They're really friendly about it and it's done in five minutes.

I think the Danish tax authorities must have taken some sort of customer service course in recent years. They are always so friendly, when I call them, that I think there must be some scam going on.

Finnish tax administration has been getting into memeing lately. https://www.instagram.com/verohallinto/

Re: Show HN: ustaxes.org – open-source tax filing webapp

#64

Post by Cthulhu_ »

llarsson wrote: post #19
vages wrote: post #15

Related fun (and sad) fact: In Norway, the tax submission forms are online and so user friendly that you don't need a tax filing program like this. Edit: Here is a link to an explanation for the form, in English, which was revamped in 2020: https://www.skatteetaten.no/en/person/taxes/tax-return/tax-r... The submission form is essentially a wizard that asks you questions related to your situation and your past year. D…

In Sweden, the employers are responsible for reporting your income and banks your profits on sales of stocks, funds, and real estate. So "doing your taxes" is, for most people, just logging in and saying "yes" to the computed value. You can even just send a text to do so.

Same in the Netherlands; in most cases, filling in taxes only involves adding any extra possessions and income you may have had (e.g. crypto). But there's actually incentive to do your taxes, because you often still have to fill in your deductibles, like (iirc) rent on the mortgage.

Re: Show HN: ustaxes.org – open-source tax filing webapp

#65

Post by [deleted] »

benhurmarcel wrote: post #52
vages wrote: post #15

Related fun (and sad) fact: In Norway, the tax submission forms are online and so user friendly that you don't need a tax filing program like this. Edit: Here is a link to an explanation for the form, in English, which was revamped in 2020: https://www.skatteetaten.no/en/person/taxes/tax-return/tax-r... The submission form is essentially a wizard that asks you questions related to your situation and your past year. D…

You'd be hard-pressed to find any other developed country than the US where it's not similar to that.

[deleted]

Re: Show HN: ustaxes.org – open-source tax filing webapp

#66

Post by jsmith99 »

Hamuko wrote: post #33
bemmu wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In Finland it's "we think you owe X amount of taxes, if you agree, do nothing".

I wonder how many people actually bother claiming their home office as an expense for 2020. It's pretty easy to do (I did it), but the benefit isn't that massive and inaction is easier than action. The standard flat deduction for "work-related expenses" is 750 euro and you can bump that to 900 euro if you worked remotely for >50% of the year's workdays. Of course, if you actually incurred more expenses (and kept trac…

In the UK, if you've had to work at home at all this year, you just tell the tax authorities online by ticking a few boxes on their website and they automatically adjust your PAYE code (what Americans would call withholding) so you pay less tax. It means that you don't have to fill out a tax return just because of simple adjustments like this.

Re: Show HN: ustaxes.org – open-source tax filing webapp

#67

Post by vages »

benhurmarcel wrote: post #62
vages wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Great! Do you have an example of a form from your home country (assuming you don't live in the US)?

In France for example, when it's time to declare your income you receive an email (or a letter if you prefer). You log in with your fiscal number and password, and get an online form where you can declare any type of income. For most people, the numbers are pre-filled (communicated by the employer). You can modify them, check your bank account IBAN for paying/refunds, and validate. In Spain it's the same, except unfo…

Good on you! That sounds surprisingly modern compared to what I've heard about for example online banking in France from people who were exchange students there. From what I've heard, you have to show up physically for most bank stuff. Is that true?

Disclaimer: I was told this by people who were exchange students there at least two years ago. Things may have changed and/or be different (i.e. harder) for foreigners.

Re: Show HN: ustaxes.org – open-source tax filing webapp

#68

Post by Hamuko »

vages wrote: post #55
benhurmarcel wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You'd be hard-pressed to find any other developed country than the US where it's not similar to that.

Great! Do you have an example of a form from your home country (assuming you don't live in the US)?

Here's a (poor) image of what the prefilled form you get in the mail looks like in Finland: https://www.ts.fi/static/content/pic_5_856409_k792913_1200.j...

Top left is the form section. The orangeish part is the prefilled value and the white box next to it is for corrections. Top right is a breakdown of your finances, bottom left is a breakdown of the tax calculation and bottom right just contains some payment slips.

Not sure how many people actually bother with returning the paper form these days as you can do it online as well.

Re: Show HN: ustaxes.org – open-source tax filing webapp

#69

Post by aidangrimshaw »

edjw wrote: post #42
aidangrimshaw wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Right now only federal taxes are implemented but state taxes are in the works! The site is implemented client side & no external API calls are made so the code in the repository is the only thing that would be touching personal information.

It’d probably be helpful to say on the homepage that no data leaves the user’s computer. As it is, it feels very risky to use the site

That's a good idea

Re: Show HN: ustaxes.org – open-source tax filing webapp

#70

Post by systemvoltage »

llarsson wrote: post #19
vages wrote: post #15

Related fun (and sad) fact: In Norway, the tax submission forms are online and so user friendly that you don't need a tax filing program like this. Edit: Here is a link to an explanation for the form, in English, which was revamped in 2020: https://www.skatteetaten.no/en/person/taxes/tax-return/tax-r... The submission form is essentially a wizard that asks you questions related to your situation and your past year. D…

In Sweden, the employers are responsible for reporting your income and banks your profits on sales of stocks, funds, and real estate. So "doing your taxes" is, for most people, just logging in and saying "yes" to the computed value. You can even just send a text to do so.

In the US, IRS takes the tax cut before you even see your funds in the bank account. This can be adjusted by filling out the dependents #. Basically, allowing you to have some ability to adjust based on your needs.

The IRS knows everything about your taxes. The filing process is about allowing the citizen to make deductions and providing flexibility by default.

I actually prefer it this way. Note that I’m not saying that the actual filing process is good - that has ways to improve. But, I’d rather take action on my part than government assuming on my behalf. I want to file taxes.

I feel like I might be the only person that likes filing taxes. It’s sort of a Zen mode for me. I love it.

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