81–90 of 495 posts
Amazing how the idea of being able to file tax returns online, without paying for a commercial service to do it, is considered far-left extremism in the US. You’d think that simplifying tax returns and reducing costs in the taxation system would be something the right could get behind?
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Rich people, because... you guessed it! Money. (Direct File doesn't directly affect them, but the push towards automated tax collection strikes at the heart of their games.)
> the push towards automated tax collection strikes at the heart of their games I don't think that's even it. The goal is to make taxes seem scary and complicated to the public, to build a consensus that taxes should be eliminated or simplified - which inevitably plays out in ways which will largely, if not entirely, benefit the wealthy. And in this light, the reason the wealthy are opposed to Direct File is obvious:…
Tax fraud is just top of mind because the other day I had to endure a smug rich asshole brag about it over dinner and I wasn't in a position to push back, so I'm venting a bit.
Amazing how the idea of being able to file tax returns online, without paying for a commercial service to do it, is considered far-left extremism in the US. You’d think that simplifying tax returns and reducing costs in the taxation system would be something the right could get behind?
The right in America does not believe in a federal government. Anything that helps a federal government exist is to be destroyed.
It just does not believe in a federal government that it is not in control of.
Bad result for America, as at least the two that I've been familiar with have both been dramatically better website implementations than much of the federal government. GSA, Digital Analytics Program: https://analytics.usa.gov/ Huge amounts of data about how government websites are used including: locations (cities, countries), languages, referral sources, media sources, devices, browsers, OS, website destination, an…
They definitely do not care if this "makes things worse". Often, it's intended.
TIL that in America, if you work on a free tax filing system you are considered by some to be part of the "far left".
Heaven forbid if the US catches up with the U.K. in the 1990s.
Providing a free, digital service to collect taxes would then be considered a real threat.
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Elon literally said they would be 'deleted' for being 'far left,' specifically for working on direct file. Yet, people still seem baffled by what's going on and refuse to accept the maliciousness behind his and Trump's actions. He came out against a public technology service! It's like Bill Gates being confused about USAID being dismantled and being willfully ignorant that the people dismantling it believe he's part…
There are things that I at least understand, but who is opposed to direct tax filing and … why?
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They were a well-regarded, non-partisan tech team. What was possibly "unreliable" about them?
My main recollection of 18F and the USDS is that they expanded the number of identity logins on VA.gov from one to three during their tenure. During one of these transitions, I lost access to my account and had to go through a full re-validation process. When the VA added ID.me last year as 4th identity provider, and mandated its use by March 4th 2025, it felt like an admission that private-sector providers outperfor…
Appreciate the ground truth, this is enough for someone to dig further in VA from a journalism perspective.
Elimination of these “non-critical” agencies are nothing but a drop in the bucket compared to military spending and amounts tax cuts for billionaire parasites.
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Here's the tweet that prompted Elon's 'deleted' tweet: >18F, the far left government wide computer office that was recently taken over by allies of @elonmusk, is also the same agency that built Elizabeth Warren's "Direct File" tax program. >Direct File puts the government in charge of preparing peoples tax returns for them. https://nitter.poast.org/alx/status/1886415751528972515 ? Clearly, they think there is somethi…
First of all, it's the US Governments, and thus the citizens, Direct File tax program. Unless Elizabeth Warren personally wrote the code I don't think her brand deserves to be on it. Second, are we pretending it was a good system? "Direct File is now open and available in 25 participating states." Wow. Half the country! That's _almost_ useful. "You can't use Direct File if you had other types of income, such as gig e…
Bad result for America, as at least the two that I've been familiar with have both been dramatically better website implementations than much of the federal government. GSA, Digital Analytics Program: https://analytics.usa.gov/ Huge amounts of data about how government websites are used including: locations (cities, countries), languages, referral sources, media sources, devices, browsers, OS, website destination, an…
The goal is to make government as dysfunctional as possible (beside the part that enforces corruption [for your side]), so people want it to get smaller and smaller (except for the corrupt parts that benefit exclusively them), so that it costs less, so that they pay less taxes, so that they have even more money (that they don't need). They definitely do not care if this "makes things worse". Often, it's intended.