Killing TurboTax • Hacker News Board

Re: Killing TurboTax

#161

Post by slater » Wed, Mar 03, 2021, 5:45 PM UTC

dastx wrote: post #81

ISL wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is it possible to FOIA the IRS tax-computation code itself?

Feels like this should be in the public domain. Any reason for it not to be?

Just had a look at what the IRS has to say about open-source software:

https://www.irs.gov/privacy-disclosure/use-of-federal-tax-in...

lots of vague stuff, but looking at the Google result, I noticed some differences. Ah, the meta description of the page reads:

Open source software, while it can be useful in many instances and appear to be cost effective, may present a security risk because open source developers don’t typically follow security best practices when developing their software.

Well, there ya have it! :D

Re: Killing TurboTax

#162

Post by icameron » Wed, Mar 03, 2021, 5:45 PM UTC

somehnguy wrote: post #75

TurboTax is disgusting. I used them for a few years in the past due to their great marketing and easy to use website. But they pulled a bait & switch on me last year, at the last minute (after I had done everything) I was required to pay north of $120 to actually file. The problem isn't that they want money to use their software, it's that they're not upfront about it. Free is thrown in your face about 100 times duri…

You're not required to pay anything if your taxes are 'dead simple' you can fill out 1040EZ for free. And still can still compare turbo tax for free to see if you got the same numbers, and send it in for free. Nobody forces you to pay. I did that when I was single.

Nowadays, its complicated. Mortgage deductions, rental income and depreciation, independent contractor, children, jointly filing. I could attempt to do that on my own but it would take hours and I likely would leave money on the table. In my use case I am more than happy to pay a hundred bucks. It's actually less if you file early too, and its deductible in your next years tax liability... I don't understand why everyone here wants to kill Turbo Tax. It makes my life easier and less stressful around tax season.

Re: Killing TurboTax

#163

Post by EvanAnderson » Wed, Mar 03, 2021, 5:46 PM UTC

edoceo wrote: post #141

numpad0 wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wonder if someone could FOIA their audit software stack and put that up on GitHub and Docker Hub

Generally no. Data you get from FOIA requests is generally limited with what you can do with it. State specific laws, your use-case not withstanding

The IRS is a US federal agency, though. They can claim no copyright on the code. It should be be public domain.

Re: Killing TurboTax

#164

Post by goda90 » Wed, Mar 03, 2021, 5:46 PM UTC

somehnguy wrote: post #75

TurboTax is disgusting. I used them for a few years in the past due to their great marketing and easy to use website. But they pulled a bait & switch on me last year, at the last minute (after I had done everything) I was required to pay north of $120 to actually file. The problem isn't that they want money to use their software, it's that they're not upfront about it. Free is thrown in your face about 100 times duri…

TurboTax Deluxe comes in a version that includes a state filing, and one that doesn't. There is a $10 price difference, but if you get the Federal only one, the price to add a state filing is much more than $10. Last year, the listings on Amazon were very hard to distinguish, and my father, who is pretty tech savvy for his generation, bought the Federal only one by accident, so state filing cost him much more. It seems like the Amazon listings are a bit more clear this year, but the whole thing put a sour taste in my mouth last year, and I switched away from TurboTax.

Re: Killing TurboTax

#165

Post by specialist » Wed, Mar 03, 2021, 5:46 PM UTC

Kalium wrote: post #51

Biganon wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know where this idea came from (I've seen it on reddit a LOT), but it's the same here in Switzerland: you do it yourself because the tax department has no idea how much you made precisely, what you can deduce from it (expenses you had to do in order to acquire your income), etc. It just makes more sense to have everyone manage their own taxes.

The IRS already has most of your income information and much of your deduction information. They already use this to validate if your return makes sense. In effect, the IRS already does most of a taxpayer's paperwork. Since they do this, it might be nice to provide it to taxpayers for review and correction, rather than making us all start from zero each time.

The higher cost of administration is the part that makes me bug-eyed.

Auto-filing and simplification would be so much cheaper.

Re: Killing TurboTax

#166

Post by bluGill » Wed, Mar 03, 2021, 5:47 PM UTC

motbob wrote: post #126

kleer001 wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Right now, the system we have is pretty good. Not compared to other countries it isn't. Not by a long shot. Video with transcript below: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/dreading-taxes-countries-s... Get the heck out of here with your bull pucky

Maybe it's "bull pucky" to you, but I have vivid memories of my parents agonizing over taxes as a child. The agony they went through is much ameliorated now due to advances in technology. And thank you for the link, but this news segment basically is big on opinion, low on specifics. Feel free to link me to a detailed article on how non-U.S. countries handle self-employment or dependent tax issues and whether/how tho…

Taxes when you were a kid were probably a lot harder than they are now. There are not nearly as many deductions to try to figure out.

Re: Killing TurboTax

#167

Post by wheybags » Wed, Mar 03, 2021, 5:48 PM UTC

Something I never understood about us taxes - from reading discussions online, it seems like everyone needs to file taxes at the end of every year? Here it's only self employed, or people with rental or investment income. In a normal employer-employee relationship, the employer has to take care of it for you, they deduct taxes before sending the money to your account. This seems to be the way it works in most places, but not the us?

Re: Killing TurboTax

#168

Post by natex » Wed, Mar 03, 2021, 5:48 PM UTC

Retric wrote: post #68

xrd wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> please don't use this software to file your taxes for the 2020 / 2021 tax season. I wonder if there is a PR that Intuit filed to add this to the readme. Seriously, I wonder how much money Intuit has spent to terrify people into using their software. Each year, I look around for alternatives so I can avoid giving them money, and each year I find some reason to grow fearful of an IRS audit and go with the company tha…

Most people have minimal to fear from an audit. If your taxes are complex enough that you’re concerned then use a professional not TurboTax.

I have used TurboTax pretty much my entire working life and never have been audited. The one time I decided to use a professional due to "complex" tax issues that year, I was audited, which became a huge pain in the ass.

Re: Killing TurboTax

#169

Post by sdljfjafsd » Wed, Mar 03, 2021, 5:48 PM UTC

brocket wrote: post #158

mikecarlton wrote: post #130

Don't give turbotax your money. If you want free, high-quality tax prep, consider Credit Karma ( https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2019/03/07/when-ta... ) The difference is that they're using your data to target financial products at you (just like any other free service). But they don't sell your data at least.

Now it's the same company unfortunately. Intuit completed their acquisition of Credit Karma in Dec, 2020. https://investors.intuit.com/news/news-details/2020/Intuit-C...

Square owns Credit Karma Tax, not Intuit.

Re: Killing TurboTax

#170

Post by ed25519FUUU » Wed, Mar 03, 2021, 5:51 PM UTC

motbob wrote: post #116

coldpie wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unless you really screw up[1], or are intentionally trying to screw the IRS[2], you don't have to worry about an audit. The IRS's goal isn't to bring down their wrath upon you, their goal is to accurately collect the taxes they are due. If you pay too little, they'll ask you to pay the difference. If you pay too much, they'll refund it. Really: I once used the single-payer tax table instead of the filing-jointly tax…

I agree with the basic premise that the IRS is nothing to be afraid of if you make a simple mistake. Though if you make a $5,000 error (which is getting out of "simple mistake" territory), they'll tack on a 20% penalty. That being said, audits are incredibly annoying if you didn't make a mistake, especially if children are involved. The Examinations department of the IRS is hard-headed, to say the least, and they wil…

Even besides the risk of pecuniary damage, the problem with an audit is that it can take a long time. It's a time sink for you where the best outcome is usually nothing different happens.