Free tax preparation software from the government could soon be illegal

[HeXen]

No one read the article beyond the misleading title did they? They are not trying to make it more difficult than it already is. They are trying to lock the current system in place so that nothing changes that would thwart/compete with Tax preparation companies business which is why they lobby and compaies like Inuit have lobbied in favor of this for many years.
The real threats to consumers have always been corporate lobbying but if you agree with capitalism then you can't disagree with the ability of of corporate lobbying because it's very much tied to our mixed economy and protected free speech and protected by the first amendment and constitution.
Obviously everyone except a few here, has known for years that America's IRS could eliminate our need to file taxes. Other countries including Chile, Japan and Britain, have it so that most taxpayers do not need to fill out tax returns. In some of those countries, the accuracy of tax withholding is sufficient to obviate the annual filing process. In others, the government sends out completed forms to most taxpayers. America's IRS collects enough information about most American households to mail out a completed tax form that people would simply need to verify, sign and return....but everyone knows this.

So why this is considered news to anyone is beyond me.

 

[ivwshane]

No one read the article beyond the misleading title did they? They are not trying to make it more difficult than it already is. They are trying to lock the current system in place so that nothing changes that would thwart/compete with Tax preparation companies business which is why they lobby and compaies like Inuit have lobbied in favor of this for many years.
The real threats to consumers have always been corporate lobbying but if you agree with capitalism then you can't disagree with the ability of of corporate lobbying because it's very much tied to our mixed economy and protected free speech and protected by the first amendment and constitution.
Obviously everyone except a few here, has known for years that America's IRS could eliminate our need to file taxes. Other countries including Chile, Japan and Britain, have it so that most taxpayers do not need to fill out tax returns. In some of those countries, the accuracy of tax withholding is sufficient to obviate the annual filing process. In others, the government sends out completed forms to most taxpayers. America's IRS collects enough information about most American households to mail out a completed tax form that people would simply need to verify, sign and return....but everyone knows this.

So why this is considered news to anyone is beyond me.

And you'd be wrong. As it currently stands there is a way for some to file taxes for free through the IRS and this bill looks to remove that option. You'd know this if you read the article you claimed to have read.

would prohibit the IRS from creating an online tax preparation system that would compete with TurboTax and H&R Block.

Currently:
https://www.irs.gov/filing/free-file-do-your-federal-taxes-for-free

 

[KMFJD]

And you'd be wrong. As it currently stands there is a way for some to file taxes for free through the IRS and this bill looks to remove that option. You'd know this if you read the article you claimed to have read.



Currently:
https://www.irs.gov/filing/free-file-do-your-federal-taxes-for-free

I believe it's still free for 70% of the people, those in the top 30% have to pay.

 

[ivwshane]

I believe it's still free for 70% of the people, those in the top 30% have to pay.

I didn't see that the bill would keep that in the original article and where that was mentioned I read it as that being the current option.

Hopefully you are correct.