Current Events > IRS to pilot free tax filing program. Intuit disagrees

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://www.npr.org/2023/05/16/1176417594/irs-taxes-filing-turbotax-intuit-tax-prep

"A direct-to-IRS e-file system is wholly redundant and is nothing more than a solution in search of a problem," said Rick Heineman, a spokesman for Intuit, the company behind TurboTax.

"This will be devestatung for our business model, daddy. Please don't"

"How will we make money if you do it for free???"

Of course they do. They're the ones that got the shit sued out of them for deceptive business practices involving this very thing

Oh now we want socialized taxes?
...oh wait.

If the IRS does make a version that's good, convenient, works way better and free, that's it for scummy Intuit and all other tax software makers.

There shouldn't even be "filing". The IRS already has all your paperwork anyway, before you do.

Questionmarktarius posted...

There shouldn't even be "filing". The IRS already has all your paperwork anyway, before you do.

Theres a thing called return free filing that does pretty much this. IRS does all your taxes for you and you just check their work. Good luck ever making that a thing with TurboTax and those other companies here though.

Anything involving the government and technology is going to be a disaster. It's a bad idea.

Can you imagine finding customer service to answer sensitive tax questions, especially from the US government? They can't even get social security right.

It's not going to happen.

FFfreakXD posted...

Anything involving the government and technology is going to be a disaster. It's a bad idea.

Can you imagine finding customer service to answer sensitive tax questions, especially from the US government? They can't even get social security right.

It's not going to happen.

Found the TurboTax employee

FFfreakXD posted...

They can't even get social security right.

They could it's just that there are too many luddite dipshits that think a secure SSN is MARK OF THE BEAST!

FFfreakXD posted...

Anything involving the government and technology is going to be a disaster. It's a bad idea.

Can you imagine finding customer service to answer sensitive tax questions, especially from the US government? They can't even get social security right.

It's not going to happen.

Be one of those cases where it's set up and there are countless republican bills and attempts to break the ever loving shit out of it and then when you look at campaign contributions those same people are getting thousands from places like Intuit.

FFfreakXD posted...

Anything involving the government and technology is going to be a disaster. It's a bad idea.

I've always wondered why government sites always look like they were made in 1999

I get saving taxpayer money but its like they're intentionally shit

Irony posted...

Found the TurboTax employee

I hate turbotax as much as anyone else. Let be honest though, has ANYTHING technology related from the government actually work?

Remember when they tried to roll out obama care?

It's like giving a 80 year old grandpa (which is pretty much literally the entire government) a mac and they still manage to crash/break it.

BombermanGold posted...

If the IRS does make a version that's good, convenient, works way better and free, that's it for scummy Intuit and all other tax software makers.

The rest of the developed world already has the government tally everything up for you.

In the 1990s the US was going to implement a similar system, and then tax preparers like Intuit lobbied (bribed) Congress to not do it. So, Congress didn't.

FFfreakXD posted...

ANYTHING technology related from the government actually work?

Have you heard of the US military and defense contractors?

Remember when they tried to roll out obama care?

Works fine now.

UnfairRepresent posted...

I've always wondered why government sites always look like they were made in 1999

I get saving taxpayer money but its like they're intentionally shit

That comes down to having to use the lowest bidder and not being more specific when writing the Statement of Work.
Gov: "We need a website that does taxes"
Private company : "We got this"
Gov: "This looks like shit and isn't intuitive at all"
Private company : "We know, but it does your taxes. Pay up."

Irony posted...

Found the TurboTax employee

Another point for you, the government is going to screw this up and outsource it to india to develop the software. Would you be happy with that?

Questionmarktarius posted...

There shouldn't even be "filing". The IRS already has all your paperwork anyway, before you do.

Not really. They have your gross.

Intuit and everyone who works for them can burn in hell.

The IRS has a reputation as ruthless cutthroats but they're actually extremely helpful and willing to help people with tax issues, if you can actually get ahold of anyone from the IRS. The problem is that they're extremely underfunded and understaffed so it can be tough to contact them. And the Biden administration got a ton of flack from Republicans not so long ago because Biden planned to hire more IRS agents. It's one of the many examples of things that objectively makes life better for most people, because more IRS agents means more assistance for regular people and each IRS agent will bring in more in tax than they cost to hire (which a "fiscal conservative" should care about), but because it might also cause rich people to be audited more Republicans are against it.

FFfreakXD posted...

and outsource it to india to develop the software.

Go ahead and fear monger about foreign countries and implore to anti-govt. competency, this is something that can and should be done. They're literally already handle our taxes.
And for the record, there are actual laws in place ensuring they(govt.) "hire American" in certain regards so no this wouldn't be outsourced.

Kuuko posted...

The IRS has a reputation as ruthless cutthroats but they're actually extremely helpful and willing to help people with tax issues, if you can actually get ahold of anyone from the IRS. The problem is that they're extremely underfunded and understaffed so it can be tough to contact them. And the Biden administration got a ton of flack from Republicans not so long ago because Biden planned to hire more IRS agents. It's one of the many examples of things that objectively makes things better for most people, because more IRS agents means more assistance for regular people and each IRS agent will bring in more in tax than they cost to hire (which a "fiscal conservative" should care about), but because it might also cause rich people to be audited more Republicans are against it.

It's primarily that, unfortunately.

really the importance of filing is tied to non-1099 schedule C income

which is relevant for like 1% of filers

turbotax can go to hell! goddamn parasites.

Anarchy_Juiblex posted...

Go ahead and fear monger about foreign countries and implore to anti-govt. competency, this is something that can and should be done. They're literally already handle our taxes.
And for the record, there are actual laws in place ensuring they(govt.) "hire American" in certain regards so no this wouldn't be outsourced.

I was being sarcastic. Outsourcing it to turbo tax. Same thing.

I ahve no hope the gov't can pull it off. I would like to, it would be great, but not happening.

Kuuko posted...

The IRS has a reputation as ruthless cutthroats but they're actually extremely helpful and willing to help people with tax issues, if you can actually get ahold of anyone from the IRS. The problem is that they're extremely underfunded and understaffed so it can be tough to contact them. And the Biden administration got a ton of flack from Republicans not so long ago because Biden planned to hire more IRS agents. It's one of the many examples of things that objectively makes life better for most people, because more IRS agents means more assistance for regular people and each IRS agent will bring in more in tax than they cost to hire (which a "fiscal conservative" should care about), but because it might also cause rich people to be audited more Republicans are against it.

From what they did get to do for the IRS this year, call times to talk to people and shit like that were dramatically cut down.

But like you said, they were specifically wanting to hire more people to specifically look into rich people's shit and that's what republicans threw a temper tantrum over about how Biden is coming for YOU, random person making 27k a year and definitely not the person making 727k a year!

https://imgur.com/LkJVXrm.png

FFfreakXD posted...

I was being sarcastic. Outsourcing it to turbo tax. Same thing.

I ahve no hope the gov't can pull it off. I would like to, it would be great, but not happening.

why not? they have healthcare.gov and it was actually working this year (in the past it was bad)

they could make a tax website

This should be the IRS giving us a bill or a check with an explanation of the outcome. Why do we have to do this at all?

BroodRyu posted...

Theres a thing called return free filing that does pretty much this. IRS does all your taxes for you and you just check their work. Good luck ever making that a thing with TurboTax and those other companies here though.

The tax filing industry is just like car dealerships. People protecting their industry when it's practically pointless.

Hopefully this goes through and we get another "Millennials are killing . . ." article but for tax software leeches.

Dunno if anyone here uses Mailchimp for their work / business, but Intuit purchased them sometime last year. Let's just say we no longer use Mailchimp at our place of business.

Good. Fuck intuit and all these pay to file services.

But also:

alfred_ashford posted...

This should be the IRS giving us a bill or a check with an explanation of the outcome. Why do we have to do this at all?

It's so redundant having to file your taxes only for the IRS to tell you your amounts are wrong. If they already know what you owe or what you're getting back, why not just tell you?

There are so many things that are shit about the UK but I am glad that I don't have to send money to a company so that I can send the government information that they already have about me

I look forward to the day that Intuit can suck it. Screw them for all their lobbying to keep our system shitty.

FFfreakXD posted...

Let be honest though, has ANYTHING technology related from the government actually work?

the snowden leaks have been out for a decade but somehow people still think our government doesn't know how to use technology

Literally the only thing the average person should have to file are their deductions. The government already knows everything else.

FYI, the IRS has already had this for a long time (free file fillable forms).

turbotax is so terrible right now. I file Expat taxes, and they charge extra for asking hey did you earn money overseas? Did you pay taxes? Did you own anything? Ok thanks 200 dollars please or whatever the absurd amount is.

i also dont think the government is doing this in good faith either though. Would be nice to have it free however.

Good. Fuck Intuit and TurboTax