Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

How the Maker of TurboTax Fought Free, Simple Tax Filing

propublica.org

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

41–50 of 341 posts

Re: How the Maker of TurboTax Fought Free, Simple Tax Filing

#41

Post by theorique »

clarkevans wrote: post #25
MatthewPhillips wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The government is not bad at code because of lobbying, they're bad at code because of fluctuating budgets, low salaries, and ridiculous processes.

Yet, Government programs have excellent customer service as compared to corporate equivalents. I use one example: student loan servicing. My loans were serviced by the largest company in the business for years, it was pure torture. When the department of education offered to assume the loans, I was happy to have the pain gone. They have been absolutely lovely to work with, clear, transparent and... helpful.

some government programs have excellent customer service as compared to some corporate equivalents

I am sure we could find counterexamples here.

Re: How the Maker of TurboTax Fought Free, Simple Tax Filing

#42

Post by noonespecial »

rm999 wrote: post #11

This stuff aggravates me. My taxes aren't abnormally complex (single, one state, very few deductions, one w-2), but I get several 1099s for my investments and end up spending an hour filling them in manually, importing CSV files from my brokerages, and double checking the numbers. What annoys me is all the forms clearly state the IRS has also been sent this information; I'm literally filling out forms in a slow, erro…

You forgot the part about when == is != they get to charge you a giant penalty. That's no accident.

Re: How the Maker of TurboTax Fought Free, Simple Tax Filing

#43

Post by niggler »

maxerickson wrote: post #36
niggler wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think many of us here don't get paid by W2 or by 1099. We are compensated in different ways which don't require those types of filings (e.g. K1), in which case we do need to fill out forms.

I don't understand your example, the originator of a k1 would file it with the IRS, just like for a W2 or 1099.

There are an incredible number of moving parts with circumstances that may seem trivial, such as a master limited partnership or a foreign company paying dividends. Unless the entire world can standardize on taxes, these complications can't go away because not all information is properly reported or reported in a timely manner

Re: How the Maker of TurboTax Fought Free, Simple Tax Filing

#44

Post by cbs »

navait wrote: post #31
MatthewPhillips wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The government is not bad at code because of lobbying, they're bad at code because of fluctuating budgets, low salaries, and ridiculous processes.

The IRS was recruiting for interns at my university recently, who could eventually become full time workers. However, I found that at best I could enter as a GS-9, and those were positions with 5 years of expirience. The best salary I could get from that was $53,000 in NYC. Even the lowest offers my friends were getting were $60k in a low-cost area. If the government was able to fund it's IT operations at market rate…

The government doesn't do anything at market rates. They employ below market rates, and contract external companies above market rates. This is (unfortunately) by design.

Re: How the Maker of TurboTax Fought Free, Simple Tax Filing

#45

Post by MatthewPhillips »

theorique wrote: post #41
clarkevans wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yet, Government programs have excellent customer service as compared to corporate equivalents. I use one example: student loan servicing. My loans were serviced by the largest company in the business for years, it was pure torture. When the department of education offered to assume the loans, I was happy to have the pain gone. They have been absolutely lovely to work with, clear, transparent and... helpful.

some government programs have excellent customer service as compared to some corporate equivalents I am sure we could find counterexamples here.

Ever been to the DMV?

Re: How the Maker of TurboTax Fought Free, Simple Tax Filing

#46

Post by k3n »

gav wrote: post #21
k3n wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They usually have a free version that is adequate for the most basic of returns, and then all others require you to purchase something in order to file through them. If you actually want the value-added services (such as the recommendations you mention), then you pay even more. The situation is a farce and a disgrace to our country; the pockets of a few are getting lined at the detriment of the many. Wait, are we dis…

The free version is just for Federal, you have to pay to file your state tax return. What I find insulting is having to pay to file my taxes, then having to pay sales tax on top of that.

Thanks for the clarification; luckily (?) I live in TX where we don't have state income tax, and so I forget that.

Agreed about the "paying taxes on paying taxes", and of course the general idea of there being a for-profit industry centered around a requirement of citizenship. This is clearly another area that furthers the agenda of the Plutocracy, whereby the wealthy are at a great advantage on account of being able to afford a CPA to find all the loopholes.

Re: How the Maker of TurboTax Fought Free, Simple Tax Filing

#48

Post by toomuchtodo »

readme wrote: post #37
toomuchtodo wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Exactly. We have the ability to do this, and private companies lobby against it (and win!) to protect their profit. What the fark.

So, you're comfortable with just trusting the government to tell you what you owe? I'd prefer to check the math myself.

Login to IRS website, be shown all your data.

Is this correct? Yes. No. buttons. Workflow is present to deal with incorrect data.

The data is already submitted electronically by employers, brokerage/retirement asset management companies, states, etc. Why should I have to pay a private company (I'm looking at you Intuit) when the IRS should have the ability to provide the same service FOR FREE.

Re: How the Maker of TurboTax Fought Free, Simple Tax Filing

#49

Post by coob »

jleard wrote: post #23
mcenedella wrote: post #12

The choice is between letting the government do your taxes for "free", versus having a company whose reputation rides on getting your taxes done as efficiently as possible with the least tax burden to you. Anybody who would choose to have the government complete them, hasn't been paying attention to the lengths revenue-strapped states will go to maximize their tax collections. It's a bit like letting the user car sal…

You're employing a logical fallacy (argumentum ad metum). See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appeal_to_fear

It's almost as though life is based on the balance of probability rather than existing in a Vulcan logic simulation.

Re: How the Maker of TurboTax Fought Free, Simple Tax Filing

#50

Post by maxerickson »

ScottWhigham wrote: post #40

To those saying "We should be more like Sweden/Finland!", I'd ask whether those countries have a tax system that is also based on using tax credits and deductions to lower your tax due? I don't know the tax codes in those countries but my guess is that, because they use the tax entity-created system, they do not have such a complicated tax code as the US. In the US, you have two sides of this: (1) the IRS, and (2) CP…

So you're proposing that ~$3 per taxpayer is a huge risk?

I think lots of people will see your point and still believe that a system where the IRS tells you what it thinks is true would be an improvement over the current system (somehow, pre-filled forms, whatever).

Post reply on HN