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

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

#141

Post by gozur88 »

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.

It's fine for the companies to hire someone who talks to legislators and puts forth the company line on why proposed legislation is bad for the country or why other legislation would make it better.

But when they start pouring money into campaigns it's a different thing. That's just a legalized form of bribery. It may be legal, for the moment. It may even be necessary, both because competitors are doing the same thing and because legislators demand it (or else). But it's wrong.

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

#142

Post by gist »

jawns wrote: post #74

Because of the complexity of tax regulations, I don't think coming up with a competing free/open-source/nonprofit tax preparation service is the right answer to this problem. Let's consider the positions of all sides: * The professional tax preparers are worried that they're going to lose business if the government assumes the bulk of the tax preparation work. * We as taxpayers would prefer that the government pre-fi…

> 5) The partner makes money by selling optional add-ons, such as audit protection services.

Oh there you go! An opportunity for someone to take advantage of people and sell products of actual dubious value. This is not a comment on your particular idea (audit protection services) as much as it is the general concept. But even with audit protections services this is a situation where the company will slant things to their benefit and take advantage of people who honestly don't know what they are buying.

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

#143

Post by danielweber »

berberous wrote: post #131
naftaliharris wrote: post #121

I'm surprised the article and comments haven't mentioned CreditKarma's tax solution yet, which is (actually) free. [1] Presumably their strategy is to take the users and data they get from offering free tax filing and use them to advertise lending products. I think that's a sustainable and politically feasible way to get free tax filing, actually; I expect that in ~5 years Credit Karma will have eaten a big part of T…

I have not used CreditKarma's tax product, but I've heard folks say that it calculates some things incorrectly. I think that's understandable for a brand new product, but I'd be cautious about using it this year if you don't (1) have a very simple return, (2) check their work against the IRS forms/instructions and/or (3) check against another product. (For those who don't want to give TurboTax or H&R money, I've been…

TurboTax found several thousand dollars for me in a fairly complicated tax situation that I was completely not expecting and would never have realized on my own. Even some CPAs I've talked to have said "oh, really?" They've bought some tremendous goodwill from me with that. I'm probably sticking with them forever.

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

#144

Post by John23832 »

jakelazaroff wrote: post #137
John23832 wrote: post #110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wasn't trying to move the goalposts. I was asked where that right was defined, and so I cited law.

Then is your position that businesses should not be expected to behave ethically, but politicians should? That's a pretty weird line to draw. There's no reason we shouldn't expect all members of society to adhere to a generally agreed-upon code of ethics, even if parts of that code shouldn't be made into law.

In a perfect society, everyone would act ethically. That isn't true sadly. We have to often force people to be ethical. We force businesses into ethics through law. We can't guilt trip a business. We can however expect ethics/morality from politicians because they are people. And really, they are elected into their positions because of their ethics.

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

#145

Post by thewhitetulip »

Every time I read that Intuit is lobbying against making Tax filing free and easy, I feel immensely grateful that Indian tax filing is simple and free. Yes, we might lack in 24x7 electricity or the first world infrastructure, but our tax filing mechanism is simple! I hope that the US makes this change to their tax process.

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

#146

Post by mikeash »

John23832 wrote: post #128
mikeash wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Didn't "what are you going to do" indicate a potential hypothetical?

It was, because you can't put a business in actual jail... You gave an alternative punishment that you could actually levy on a business and I agree that that could work.

Then I don't get your response. "What would you do, hypothetically?" "Hypothetically, you could do X." "We don't do X!"

I mean... yeah... that's why it's an idea and not a description of how things work.

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

#147

Post by berberous »

heyheyhey wrote: post #139
berberous wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have not used CreditKarma's tax product, but I've heard folks say that it calculates some things incorrectly. I think that's understandable for a brand new product, but I'd be cautious about using it this year if you don't (1) have a very simple return, (2) check their work against the IRS forms/instructions and/or (3) check against another product. (For those who don't want to give TurboTax or H&R money, I've been…

> I have not used CreditKarma's tax product, but I've heard folks say that it calculates some things incorrectly. Can anyone else attest to this? I am going to start doing my taxes soon (for the first time in my life) and CreditKarma seems like a good solution for me.

Take a look here for some issues: https://www.bogleheads.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=207092

TurboTax will let you do everything except file for free. You could enter your data on both sites, and if they match, file for free with Credit Karma.

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

#148

Post by d3ad1ysp0rk »

danielweber wrote: post #143
berberous wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have not used CreditKarma's tax product, but I've heard folks say that it calculates some things incorrectly. I think that's understandable for a brand new product, but I'd be cautious about using it this year if you don't (1) have a very simple return, (2) check their work against the IRS forms/instructions and/or (3) check against another product. (For those who don't want to give TurboTax or H&R money, I've been…

TurboTax found several thousand dollars for me in a fairly complicated tax situation that I was completely not expecting and would never have realized on my own. Even some CPAs I've talked to have said "oh, really?" They've bought some tremendous goodwill from me with that. I'm probably sticking with them forever.

This is the exact anecdote for why Intuit would want to keep tax law complicated.

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

#149

Post by michaelt »

problems wrote: post #113
gech wrote: post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>But we also recognize that it's in the government's interest to maximize the tax we pay, and (ideally) it's in the tax preparers' interest to minimize the tax we pay. I don't buy this at all

What don't you buy about it? If a tax preparer doesn't give me the return I'm expecting, you can bet I'm going somewhere else or using different software the next year. And of course the government wants to maximize revenue - if they were given control over this they could easily do small UI tweaks that may result in significant increases in revenue.

Well, the article points out that tax preparers are lobbying in favour of taxes being complex and hard to file.

Given a choice between a simple tax system that gave you a $100 rebate for doing nothing; and a complex tax system that gave you a $90 rebate if you brought their software or a $30 rebate if you did nothing; the tax preparer would prefer the latter system even though doing so would increase the tax their customers pay.

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

#150

Post by pasbesoin »

For three years, one of the departments I worked in had to suffer through massive, monthly paper report distributions. Because the petty-tyrant manager would not let us convert to electronic reporting. Because it would shrink his personal turf.

From business and legal aspects through to recent news on scientific "protectionism", no matter the "professionalism" and "objectivity" attached to the domain, they remain run by humans. With all their human traits and foibles -- which tend to come before the "objective."

One reason -- a primary one -- I see for guaranteeing people a basic quality of life, e.g. health care and an at least tolerable retirement. So that they -- maybe -- don't fear change so much. Feel, even, that they get to take part in the change, even when it is not at their own initiative and patent.

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