IRS to begin trial of its own free tax-filing system

Post by protomolecule » Sat, Jan 06, 2024, 8:06 PM UTC

crazydoggers wrote: post #13

k2enemy wrote: post #3

> A spokeswoman for Intuit, Tania Mercado, criticized the direct file project as a “half-baked solution” and a waste of taxpayer money. “The direct file scheme is a solution in search of a problem,” she said. Wow, I thought that Intuit would have gone for a little more subtlety.

This is why we still have the income tax system that we do. It’s a $14 billion a year industry. I’ve talked to people who work the lobbying system very hard. There’s lots of wining and dining to make sure no one messes with the complexity of the system. We need more people who are immune to lobbying in government positions. We’ll see how this goes.. depending on the next election cycle this will either get quashed qu…

Post by unethical_ban » Sat, Jan 06, 2024, 8:09 PM UTC

lupusreal wrote: post #74

GreedClarifies wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So in its initial form it is indeed a complete waste of tax payers money. Shocking.

I'm with you; if I still have to fill in the paperwork then quite literally what is the point? I'll continue paying an accountant to do this bullshit. This 'new' system is useless to me.

Post by whakim » Sat, Jan 06, 2024, 8:10 PM UTC

Klinky wrote: post #39

MenhirMike wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Which is really the main issue. Offering a more accessible free version to file taxes is great, but the real problem is the need to file taxes at all for a lot of people. The IRS already knows the relevant info: Your employer sends W-2 information, your bank and broker are sending the various 1099 forms for interest, dividends, stock sale gains/losses, etc. Same for your spouse and kids/dependents. Don't even need to…

This is a good first step. Ideally it turns into a "verify this all looks correct & add anything we're missing" kinda thing.

Post by vkou » Sat, Jan 06, 2024, 8:16 PM UTC

mjamesaustin wrote: post #82

hackernewds wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

IRS funding is objectively efficient. Every additional $1 spent on IRS budget brings in $5-9 of additional funding through enforcement. https://www.cbo.gov/publication/57444

Post by geraldwhen » Sat, Jan 06, 2024, 8:17 PM UTC

CrendKing wrote: post #89

usaar333 wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Unless you're dealing with foreign income, are a business, or do a lot of contract work for cash, I don't see much reason why the IRS can't just handle all the taxes automatically - apart from the fact that some company wants to charge me $150 a year to file my taxes and making sure that my tax situation (which would fit on a beer coaster otherwise) is as complicated as possible. I imagine there are heavy software…

I have no idea what "wash sale" is. I only heard that term when I was reading the help page in TurboTax, which I'm effectively forced to use. Seriously, I doubt there is more than 100k people in US that have this "wash sale" any year. I'm so tired of every time someone suggests automatic tax filling, there is always one guy bring up some tax term that 99.99% people never heard of. Sure, if auto tax filling doesn't so…