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Intuit sabotages the Child Tax Credit

pluralistic.net

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Re: Intuit sabotages the Child Tax Credit

#31

Post by toomuchtodo »

SaltyBackendGuy wrote: post #14
krferriter wrote: post #12

Given how much H&R Block and Intuit have unethically and corruptly leeched from the government and the taxpayers directly, I think the should literally be nationalized and have their tax software platforms absorbed into the IRS. Their company activities over the last few decades are so flagrantly, indisputably bad for the country. There's literally no upside, none at all. They have intentionally sabotaged tax filing…

I wish that our government (the people who allowed them to be the middle man) would take some accountability. But I guess that would be uncharacteristic.

Citizens voted these people in, the blames lies with the electorate.

Re: Intuit sabotages the Child Tax Credit

#32

Post by specialist »

TLDR?: IRS can't feasibly inform beneficiaries of CTC. Because it doesn't have a relationship with them. Because Intuit cock blocks.

Right?

Doctrow always baffles me. By the end of any article, I can't remember what we're talking about.

Where's the call to action? Doctrow had me at "Intuit sucks". Just tell me where to shoot.

Re: Intuit sabotages the Child Tax Credit

#33

Post by Wavelets »

runawaybottle wrote: post #22
krferriter wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They're a corrupt, profiteering company that does everything it legally can to stop people from filing taxes for free. https://www.propublica.org/article/inside-turbotax-20-year-f...

But listen to my argument, I’m willing to pay to have an easier time filing my taxes. I’m not going to use IRS’s tool if it doesn’t make it a painless process like TurboTax. So I ask again, will the IRS make a painless tool? If the answer is yes, but Intuit is lobbying them not to, then I understand your point. If it’s just about free vs non-free, I could care less. Filing taxes or filling out anything for the govern…

The problem isn't that the IRS won't make a painless tool. The issue is that Intuit actively works to make sure the tax code stays as complicated as possible. Ideally the tax code is so simple that complicated tools aren't necessary for your average filer.

Re: Intuit sabotages the Child Tax Credit

#34

Post by jandrese »

cmckn wrote: post #5
WisNorCan wrote: post #2

Intuit is consistently one of the least ethical actors in tech. They have a monopoly position in many of their products and take advantage of some of the poorest people through misinformation and lobbying. Facebook & Uber have received most of the heat over the past few years. Intuit has strangely avoided the same level of scrutiny.

For sure. The IRS needs to offer a tax preparation platform, the grift in this industry is astounding. I've always had decent experiences with TurboTax, but they've gotten extremely good at making your taxes hell if you want to avoid giving them $89.99.

This year we tried doing our taxes using both TurboTax and FreeTaxUSA.

TurboTax has a much worse interface, it took almost twice as long to complete the taxes despite having an identical return. TurboTax did find about $50 more return for us somehow despite having entered the same information into both sites, but that amount is less than the fee TurboTax would charge so we ended up submitting through FreeTaxUSA instead.

Next year I don't think I'm even going to bother with TurboTax.

Re: Intuit sabotages the Child Tax Credit

#35

Post by spinax »

cmckn wrote: post #5
WisNorCan wrote: post #2

Intuit is consistently one of the least ethical actors in tech. They have a monopoly position in many of their products and take advantage of some of the poorest people through misinformation and lobbying. Facebook & Uber have received most of the heat over the past few years. Intuit has strangely avoided the same level of scrutiny.

For sure. The IRS needs to offer a tax preparation platform, the grift in this industry is astounding. I've always had decent experiences with TurboTax, but they've gotten extremely good at making your taxes hell if you want to avoid giving them $89.99.

H&R Block wanted to upcharge me additional $$ just to fill out a Schedule D on top of the $$ tier fee (the past few years these forms were included in that tier price). They lost a long term (10yr?) customer by trying to grift me this year.

I used https://www.taxslayer.com/ instead this past year, a bit more DIY but if you've done your taxes for years and they're generally the same year after year it's not that hard to read your docs and type them in the boxes. You pay for Support level, not tax form access with this service.

Re: Intuit sabotages the Child Tax Credit

#36

Post by jakelazaroff »

runawaybottle wrote: post #16
azinman2 wrote: post #11

Intuit is a perfect example to me of the flawed reality in a libertarian ideology. We know they’re terrible, we know their products aren’t great… yet where are all the meaningful competitors? People who are at least meeting their bar if not substantially exceeding it? It’s not like this is a new industry that takes time to bake. Where are the YC startups trying to take them on? Meanwhile they continue to make live ex…

I think their software is good and I usually have a very easy time filing taxes. In comparison, I remember filling out my FAFSA application and that being long ordeal. I don’t think government has the willingness to create a seamless tax-filing experience. Who is stopping the IRS from making a competing easy to use tax filing website? Are people suggesting Intuit is stopping a good product team from operating within…

> Who is stopping the IRS from making a competing easy to use tax filing website? Are people suggesting Intuit is stopping a good product team from operating within the IRS?

Yes. The IRS signed an agreement with a coalition of companies called the Free File Alliance (including Intuit) stipulating that if the latter would provide free filing, the IRS wouldn't create a competing product. [1] Intuit then delisted the TurboTax Free File page from search engines [2] so taxpayers would only be able to find the version that directs users to pay. Only 3% of taxpayers took advantage of Free File products — remember, these are products made by tax prep companies like Intuit — even though over 70% are eligible. [3]

[1] https://www.propublica.org/article/inside-turbotax-20-year-f...

[2] https://www.propublica.org/article/turbotax-deliberately-hid...

[3] https://www.propublica.org/article/free-file-online-tax-prep...

Re: Intuit sabotages the Child Tax Credit

#38

Post by acomjean »

cmckn wrote: post #5
WisNorCan wrote: post #2

Intuit is consistently one of the least ethical actors in tech. They have a monopoly position in many of their products and take advantage of some of the poorest people through misinformation and lobbying. Facebook & Uber have received most of the heat over the past few years. Intuit has strangely avoided the same level of scrutiny.

For sure. The IRS needs to offer a tax preparation platform, the grift in this industry is astounding. I've always had decent experiences with TurboTax, but they've gotten extremely good at making your taxes hell if you want to avoid giving them $89.99.

the IRS has actually partnered with the "Free File Alliance" which is a group of companies that partner with the IRS (Free tax filing for incomes Intuit is one of the members:

https://freefilealliance.org/free-file-alliance-members/

https://freefilealliance.org/about/

Its a little weird. One would hope they would just send you the bill.. I filed my taxes late with an extension. I could go to the IRS site and get all the documents they had filed by banks and my employeer, for me. They have that info...

Re: Intuit sabotages the Child Tax Credit

#39

Post by whoisjuan »

Already said in this thread, but I think it's ridiculous that when people think about abusive big tech, they never think about Intuit. Their business is literally the idea of creating friction in federal and local tax systems so they can extort people in exchange of removing some of those synthetic frictions (emphasis on "some").

A sinister business model in every possible way.

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