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If an entire industry can be killed by a public service, it probably didn't deserve to exist in the first place.
Also, my wife paid a joint filing online under my SSN, and the system couldn't figure that out and claimed we were in arrears. I'm not hopeful.
If an entire industry can be killed by a public service, it probably didn't deserve to exist in the first place.
That seems like an overly broad statement. If the companies producing tax filing software were solving a problem for their users then why shouldn't they exist. Even with this new option being offered by the IRS there is still likely room for private companies to solve the same problem (tax filing) in a way which is perceived as better by some users and so still justify their existence.
Because the "problem" they're solving has been solved in other countries without a profitable middleman. Intuit's continued existence in this space is dependent on their lobbying team.
If an entire industry can be killed by a public service, it probably didn't deserve to exist in the first place.
I support the IRS's new service, as a general matter (i.e., without knowing details), but you raise a serious issue.
Is there an equivalently-blissful tax-filing software/service? I don't want to go back to TurboTax, and with several single-member LLCs I'm probably beyond the scope of the IRS' free service.
Anyone have any suggestions?
If an entire industry can be killed by a public service, it probably didn't deserve to exist in the first place.
If anything, this will compel the tax preparation software companies to get even better than before, and offer an increased value proposition.
Competition benefits the consumer, and for a long while there's been limited, mostly fixed competition (via Brand awareness mostly).
FreeTaxUSA is amazing, and cheap, but it does not yet have the brand power the incumbents do.
It's unlikely the IRS offering will be as easy to use or as pleasant as the existing offerings, but it will be a huge shot across all of their collective bows.
Keep in mind the IRS offering a free online service for tax filing does not reduce the complexities of the current tax code - nor does it make for a more fair tax system (one where having means to access professionals reduces your perceived tax liability). This system merely means fewer people need to pay $49 a year to file taxes...
If an entire industry can be killed by a public service, it probably didn't deserve to exist in the first place.
That seems like an overly broad statement. If the companies producing tax filing software were solving a problem for their users then why shouldn't they exist. Even with this new option being offered by the IRS there is still likely room for private companies to solve the same problem (tax filing) in a way which is perceived as better by some users and so still justify their existence.
If an entire industry can be killed by a public service, it probably didn't deserve to exist in the first place.
That seems like an overly broad statement. If the companies producing tax filing software were solving a problem for their users then why shouldn't they exist. Even with this new option being offered by the IRS there is still likely room for private companies to solve the same problem (tax filing) in a way which is perceived as better by some users and so still justify their existence.
If an entire industry can be killed by a public service, it probably didn't deserve to exist in the first place.
Maybe. Or maybe a lot of people will leave refunds on the table because the software will be bad at helping people identify their deductions. Also, my wife paid a joint filing online under my SSN, and the system couldn't figure that out and claimed we were in arrears. I'm not hopeful.
* cost of TurboTax Pro Ultimate will be deducted from your refund amount, plus interest.
If an entire industry can be killed by a public service, it probably didn't deserve to exist in the first place.
The government could theoretically make anything a public service; that standard doesn't distinguish between one industry and another. I support the IRS's new service, as a general matter (i.e., without knowing details), but you raise a serious issue.
If an industry exists because of the government and it can be replaced by a public service, then it doesn't deserve to exist.
FWIW, public defenders are a public service used to interact with a government-created system, but the private legal defense industry is alive and well. So, it's not like making a public service is sufficient to kill any government-created industry.
If an entire industry can be killed by a public service, it probably didn't deserve to exist in the first place.
Just as in tech we build things that will get refactored and thrown away, it should be expected certain private sector components might be eventually deprecated when government steps in to provide as a public good.
I support many public goods, including this one, but they are a tool with appropriate uses just like private enterprise is. I don't want operating systems to be a government-provided 'public good'. Also, I think freedom is the core, but not only, value here, including in commerce. When government takes over, it's no longer a free market with free people.