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

H&R Block and Intuit Are Lobbying Against Making Tax Filling Free and Easy

propublica.org

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

11–20 of 240 posts

Re: H&R Block and Intuit Are Lobbying Against Making Tax Filling Free and Easy

#11

Post by mikeash »

John23832 wrote: post #4

It's never wrong for businesses to lobby for their interests. It's wrong when our elected officials bend to those business interest when it goes against the public interest.

I completely disagree. It's absolutely wrong for a business to lobby for their interests when it harms others. This is little different from dumping toxic waste into the local reservoir. That would be wrong even if it were legal.

Obviously, a lot of business don't really care about right and wrong, and so they'll still do it. But we can condemn it.

Re: H&R Block and Intuit Are Lobbying Against Making Tax Filling Free and Easy

#12

Post by frgtpsswrdlame »

John23832 wrote: post #4

It's never wrong for businesses to lobby for their interests. It's wrong when our elected officials bend to those business interest when it goes against the public interest.

Why is it not wrong? These corporations are throwing around money to subvert the public interest. Surely corporations have some level of duty to the public which allows them to exist.

Re: H&R Block and Intuit Are Lobbying Against Making Tax Filling Free and Easy

#13

Post by M_Grey »

John23832 wrote: post #4

It's never wrong for businesses to lobby for their interests. It's wrong when our elected officials bend to those business interest when it goes against the public interest.

I'm sorry, but no. A business can have interests that are obviously and deeply evil, such as in a very extreme example, the production of Zyclon B for the Nazis. It is a myth that earning money somehow insulates you from being scum, and if you're acting against the interests of literally everyone except yourself and at their direct expense, you might be scum.

If you're saying that's right, I'd argue the point strenuously. It's also wrong when our elected officials, predictably, bend.

Re: H&R Block and Intuit Are Lobbying Against Making Tax Filling Free and Easy

#14

Post by mikeash »

roesl027 wrote: post #3

In this alternative solution, the government does your taxes, so instead of paying a company/accountant to do it, our taxes / the deficit will pay for it. Someone has to do the work, and if it's not these companies, it will be the IRS. I'd be in favor of simplifying the tax code so everyone could file their own return with confidence!

The work is already being done. Try putting some incorrect numbers into your tax return this year. Sometime after you file, you'll probably get a letter informing you of the mistake, telling you how much your actual tax liability differs from what you filed, and either a check or a bill for the difference.

Re: H&R Block and Intuit Are Lobbying Against Making Tax Filling Free and Easy

#15

Post by M_Grey »

roesl027 wrote: post #3

In this alternative solution, the government does your taxes, so instead of paying a company/accountant to do it, our taxes / the deficit will pay for it. Someone has to do the work, and if it's not these companies, it will be the IRS. I'd be in favor of simplifying the tax code so everyone could file their own return with confidence!

Edited by poster to conform with rules

When you consider that your argument seems to be that we should ignore the efficiencies of scale and the removal of a pointless profit margin, because it won't be absolutely free.

Re: H&R Block and Intuit Are Lobbying Against Making Tax Filling Free and Easy

#16

Post by hx87 »

roesl027 wrote: post #3

In this alternative solution, the government does your taxes, so instead of paying a company/accountant to do it, our taxes / the deficit will pay for it. Someone has to do the work, and if it's not these companies, it will be the IRS. I'd be in favor of simplifying the tax code so everyone could file their own return with confidence!

The IRS already does the work. How do you think they validate your tax returns?

Re: H&R Block and Intuit Are Lobbying Against Making Tax Filling Free and Easy

#17

Post by SpicyPython »

I mean, I feel like we should've seen this coming. They chunked off a significant portion of the market, and now they can try to make tax filing more expensive such that they can make more money. It's disappointing, because I love online tax filing, and I just hope their lobbying efforts don't pay off.

Re: H&R Block and Intuit Are Lobbying Against Making Tax Filling Free and Easy

#18

Post by ceejayoz »

roesl027 wrote: post #3

In this alternative solution, the government does your taxes, so instead of paying a company/accountant to do it, our taxes / the deficit will pay for it. Someone has to do the work, and if it's not these companies, it will be the IRS. I'd be in favor of simplifying the tax code so everyone could file their own return with confidence!

The IRS already does your taxes, in parallel. If you forget something that was reported to them or make a math error, they'll take it out of your return and send you a letter.

Re: H&R Block and Intuit Are Lobbying Against Making Tax Filling Free and Easy

#19

Post by John23832 »

mikeash wrote: post #11
John23832 wrote: post #4

It's never wrong for businesses to lobby for their interests. It's wrong when our elected officials bend to those business interest when it goes against the public interest.

I completely disagree. It's absolutely wrong for a business to lobby for their interests when it harms others. This is little different from dumping toxic waste into the local reservoir. That would be wrong even if it were legal. Obviously, a lot of business don't really care about right and wrong, and so they'll still do it. But we can condemn it.

I never said we can't condemn the behavior of businesses.

The prime objective for a business is to make money. All the ethics, right/wrongs, etc are things that we expect from the people who run those businesses. But the business is there to make money.

It is up to the people in charge of making choices for society to make the right choices. It's not the responsibility of the business. They have every right to lobby for anything they want.

Re: H&R Block and Intuit Are Lobbying Against Making Tax Filling Free and Easy

#20

Post by mcherm »

roesl027 wrote: post #3

In this alternative solution, the government does your taxes, so instead of paying a company/accountant to do it, our taxes / the deficit will pay for it. Someone has to do the work, and if it's not these companies, it will be the IRS. I'd be in favor of simplifying the tax code so everyone could file their own return with confidence!

Simplifying the tax code is a great idea. But it is DIFFERENT than allowing the IRS to pre-fill tax forms for people. Many people (although, due to our current complex tax code, not everyone) would be able to use these pre-filled forms and file taxes free for no effort. We shouldn't miss out on THAT opportunity just to chase tax simplification: we should do both!
Post reply on HN