Intuit sabotages the Child Tax Credit • Hacker News Board

Re: Intuit sabotages the Child Tax Credit

#51

Post by JumpCrisscross » Wed, Jun 30, 2021, 6:07 PM UTC

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…

> should literally be nationalized

Political note: calls for nationalisation, in American politics, is a gift to the other side. It lets one paint the opposition as extremists without grounding in U.S. Constitutional law or the economic history of countries that regularly expropriate property.

I get the impulse. But literally any other phrasing—massive fines, criminal prosecution, open-licensing requirements, et cetera—is more productive for any aim other than blowing steam.

Re: Intuit sabotages the Child Tax Credit

#52

Post by mike_ivanov » Wed, Jun 30, 2021, 6:07 PM UTC

This year I paid TurboTax extra to get their "professional advice". I didn't get any. Had to find a real accountant to solve the problem. This was my last year of using TT.

Re: Intuit sabotages the Child Tax Credit

#53

Post by Nicksil » Wed, Jun 30, 2021, 6:07 PM UTC

whoisjuan wrote: post #39

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.

>I think it's ridiculous that when people think about abusive big tech, they never think about Intuit.

I don't know why you think people don't think that. I imagine that most people who have been informed will think along similar lines. Those who don't think it are likely not yet informed.

Re: Intuit sabotages the Child Tax Credit

#54

Post by lowbloodsugar » Wed, Jun 30, 2021, 6:08 PM UTC

Further evidence of the "Conspiracy Practice" discussed yesterday on HN.

Re: Intuit sabotages the Child Tax Credit

#55

Post by callmeal » Wed, Jun 30, 2021, 6:12 PM UTC

literallyaduck wrote: post #46

I have a hardtime taking an article seriously that makes wild claims such as "But the IRS has been starved for decades by anti-tax extremists". Show me the evidence.

>https://www.atr.org/trump-budget-cuts-irs-funding-239-millio...

  President Donald Trump's 2018 budget blueprint is out, and it wisely cuts IRS funding by $239 million.

Compared to pretty much any metric where increasing their budget will increase tax collection. Mainly because most tax fraud happens where no one is looking.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/want-to-shrink-defic...

  The number of IRS revenue agents — the auditors qualified to examine complex returns — has plummeted 43 percent over the past decade, according to a report from Syracuse University’s Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse. Audit rates of those filing these complex returns have also sharply declined.
      
  For example, the number of millionaires who were audited in fiscal 2020 was about a quarter of the number from fiscal 2012. Accordingly, these IRS audits turned up unreported tax bills of $1.2 billion last year, about a quarter of the $4.8 billion found in fiscal 2012.

Re: Intuit sabotages the Child Tax Credit

#56

Post by black6 » Wed, Jun 30, 2021, 6:12 PM UTC

hydroxideOH- wrote: post #29

What should I use to file my taxes if I want to move away from TurboTax?

Pen and paper. I've been doing it for the past several years.

Re: Intuit sabotages the Child Tax Credit

#57

Post by twostorytower » Wed, Jun 30, 2021, 6:12 PM UTC

crysin wrote: post #44

randomhodler84 wrote: post #13

Consider using credit karma tax (run by good guy Jack Dorsey); it was forced to be split out from CK when they were bought by intuit. It’s free, it supports nearly everything you would need these days.

I know you're getting downvoted but I was hoping to get more context around the ownership situation of specifically Credit Karma Tax? Are there articles anywhere discussing how it will be spun off from CK or will it stay within their services just run by a different company?

It has already spun off. Square currently operates it under the "Credit Karma Tax" brand but it's probably going to move under the Cash App branding eventually.

Re: Intuit sabotages the Child Tax Credit

#58

Post by callmeal » Wed, Jun 30, 2021, 6:14 PM UTC

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…

>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.

Yes, IRS would have made a painless tool, but for that lobbying.

https://www.nbcnews.com/business/taxes/turbotax-h-r-block-sp...

Re: Intuit sabotages the Child Tax Credit

#59

Post by macspoofing » Wed, Jun 30, 2021, 6:15 PM UTC

>Many of the people eligible for CTC don't file tax returns

There is a level of pragmatism that calls for better communication of programs and help with tax filings ... but ... as a citizen, you do have a responsibility to file tax returns. Why is it always hard to make the argument from both sides, namely: we should make tax filing as easy as possible AND the citizen has a responsibility to file their taxes regardless. It seems we, as a society, have a hard time with the latter part.

Re: Intuit sabotages the Child Tax Credit

#60

Post by whoisjuan » Wed, Jun 30, 2021, 6:16 PM UTC

Nicksil wrote: post #53

whoisjuan wrote: post #39

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.

>I think it's ridiculous that when people think about abusive big tech, they never think about Intuit. I don't know why you think people don't think that. I imagine that most people who have been informed will think along similar lines. Those who don't think it are likely not yet informed.

If you talk to people outside of tech circles and you bring up Turbotax into the conversation, you will notice that people have a relatively positive view of it. Most people think of TurboTax as something that’s helping them to comply with their tax duties and navigate a complex tax system. They think of it as a helping hand when it comes to dealing with government bs.

Not surprisingly, most people think the complete opposite about the government.

So where Intuit is diabolically good, it’s at arbitraging those colloquial narratives and embedding itself in the middle as the savior. The good guy who is here to help.

They screw you, so they can later come and help you. As I said before, a sinister business model.