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IRS makes free tax return program permanent and is asking all states to join in 2025. This could deal a massive blow to private tax filing services such as TurboTax (apnews.com)

submitted 3 months ago by ForgottenFlux@lemmy.world to c/technology@lemmy.world

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[–] johny_joe_1975@discuss.online -1 points 3 months ago (1 children)

As a person who not live in US, I wonder why people need private tax filing like TurboTax ? As where I live, my employer (the company I work for) do tax filing for me. I just need to sign, agree that they will do my tax filling.

[–] helpImTrappedOnline@lemmy.world 4 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

Funny thing is, in a way our employers already do our taxes, they send everything to the IRS. We just have to manually input the same data into forms to send to the IRS. If you get it wrong they'll know and can fine you. That being said, individuals filing their own taxes does have its place, people have multiple jobs, children, houses, debt, bank intrest earned etc. An employeer should't have to keep track of all that. The individual should just be able to collect all the approiate forms and send them in, not have to transfer info from form w4 to form 1090.

Private tax filing companies like Turbo Tax have heavily lobbied with ~~campaign contributions~~ bribes.

Any attempt to fix the system was blocked. The silver linning (if you can call it that) was they had to make a free version availbe to low income individuals.

However that "free" version is completely burried and not advertised anywhere. They'd rather you use the free version of TurboTax which only free for the basic person with a job, house and maybe a kid. Anything more will cost (my info is a bit outdated and skewed, I'm not really looking at the exact service).

Then it's filled the dark patterns and scare tatics to get you to pay up every step of the way.

Welcome to land of freedom and the illusion of taxation with representation.