this post was submitted on 04 Feb 2025
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cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/25117460

Summary

Elon Musk claimed on X that he eliminated the IRS team responsible for the "Direct File" program, which allows Americans to file taxes online for free.

His statement came in response to a right-wing influencer criticizing the program as government overreach.

However, the Treasury Department confirms that the Direct File system remains active, offering free tax filing with customer support.

The program, available in English and Spanish, is optional, allowing taxpayers to choose between using it or filing their taxes manually.

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[–] Empricorn@feddit.nl 1 points 4 minutes ago

This unelected fascist has no authority. Fuck him, ignore him and refuse access...

[–] TheFunkyPickle@lemmy.zip 13 points 2 hours ago* (last edited 1 hour ago)

I love turbo tax and intuit. They're my favorite companies. I hope I can give more money to the IRS via intuit and hrblock. Thank you, Elongated Muskrat, you've truly saved America.

[–] SocialMediaRefugee@lemmy.world 5 points 1 hour ago* (last edited 1 hour ago)

Haha! Joke's on them, people are so broke most just use the Form 1040 or Form 1040-SR (replaced 1040EZ) forms.

[–] Honytawk@lemmy.zip 39 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

According to Forbes, the only thing he actually deleted was the 18F's (group that created Direct File) Xitter account. Lol

https://www.forbes.com/sites/kellyphillipserb/2025/02/04/irs-direct-file-still-working-this-tax-season-despite-musks-comments/

Really Musky of him to confuse the 2

[–] bitjunkie@lemmy.world 4 points 2 hours ago (2 children)

I mean his social media obsession was what really showed behind the curtain of his fraying sanity the past few years, so I'm not especially surprised that he can't seem to distinguish between a Twitter account and real life.

[–] xor@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 25 minutes ago

things that happen on the internet are real. This is real life.

[–] tempest@lemmy.ca 3 points 1 hour ago

If he and Trump have one thing in common it's thin skin and being terminally online

[–] MITM0@lemmy.world 43 points 14 hours ago (1 children)
[–] floofloof@lemmy.ca 18 points 13 hours ago (2 children)

I'm not sure he can do anything well.

[–] skuzz@discuss.tchncs.de 2 points 2 hours ago* (last edited 2 hours ago)

That's often the case with ~~CEOs~~ despots. They're more showmen/cheerleaders that people want to undress with their stonks. Otherwise, just talentless hacks that get paid too much money.

[–] Epp2@lemmynsfw.com 14 points 13 hours ago (2 children)

Except Nazi salutes. That arm thrust was chock full of intent and came straight from the heart!

[–] Kolanaki@pawb.social 5 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

came straight from the heart

Bullshit. You're telling me he has a heart?

[–] Epp2@lemmynsfw.com 5 points 12 hours ago

Well not anymore, of course, as it went out to all his fellow Nazis

[–] floofloof@lemmy.ca 6 points 13 hours ago* (last edited 13 hours ago) (1 children)

It was the most awkward and embarrassing Nazi salute in the history of Nazi salutes. He didn't even do that well.

[–] echodot 6 points 12 hours ago

The irony of course being that actual Nazis wouldn't have liked him because he was South African. Him being white would probably be the minor mitigating factor but had they won their war he wouldn't have had a nice time.

[–] ricketyrackets@lemmy.ml 59 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

I love it when Nazi African fascists take control of the American monetary system.

[–] AbsoluteChicagoDog@lemm.ee 14 points 16 hours ago (2 children)

How does he do this stuff? It's not like he's personally logging into the server and shutting down the website.

[–] echodot 6 points 12 hours ago (2 children)

Presumably he just directs other people to do things.

If I was in the IT department I would already be looking for a new job, and I would just tell him that I'd done it, it's not like he's going to check. Although in this case it seems more a situation where he's just running his mouth.

[–] LandedGentry@lemmy.zip 1 points 28 minutes ago* (last edited 28 minutes ago)

If I was in the IT department I would be scrambling to get backups out the door to responsible parties

[–] prettybunnys@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 hour ago

Lots of DR drills gonna be strained to their limits I’m betting

[–] carpelbridgesyndrome@sh.itjust.works 16 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

I'd bet good money he's never done his own taxes in his life

[–] febra@lemmy.world 4 points 13 hours ago

No, but he did do our taxes. Billionaires love government handouts after all.

[–] edg@lemmy.world 44 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

Arrest his ass and lock him away for life!

[–] NikkiDimes@lemmy.world 18 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

We can buy rope at Home Depot.

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[–] mohammed_alibi@lemmy.world 32 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

Deport this asshole back to South Africa

[–] NikkiDimes@lemmy.world 20 points 17 hours ago (5 children)

Unfortunately, he's now an American citizen. Fortunately, we have treason charges for this kind of thing :).

[–] bitjunkie@lemmy.world 1 points 1 hour ago (1 children)

But I thought Trump already got rid of birthright citizenship?

[–] NikkiDimes@lemmy.world 1 points 57 minutes ago* (last edited 56 minutes ago)

He doesn't have citizenship through birthright. That would be if his mom gave birth to him in the US while she lacked citizenship of her own, no? He just went through the standard naturalization process (allegedly)

[–] Rakonat@lemmy.world 6 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

He came here illegally under false pretenses meaning his citizenship can legally be nullified and expunged. To say nothing of the administration he supports trying to find ways to nullify citizenship of immigrants and natural born citizens who are and always have been here legally.

[–] NikkiDimes@lemmy.world 3 points 13 hours ago

I say we ignore that and just charge him with treason.

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[–] Carl@lemm.ee 8 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

Used free file myself and it works great, if you haven't filed your taxes yet this year better do it fast before the site gets taken down!

[–] echodot 7 points 12 hours ago (4 children)

Why on Earth would the US government want it to be difficult for its citizens to file taxes. Surely they want the taxes.

[–] andros_rex@lemmy.world 1 points 45 minutes ago

The complicated system means that there are lots of legal loopholes for wealthy people who can afford accountants. The billionaire I knew had it down exactly he how much he needed to to give to a charity, how to play games with moving money between family members…

On the other hand, because it is so complicated, lower class people working multiple shit jobs have to run through hoops and thus probably don’t get the refunds they’ve earned.

[–] bitjunkie@lemmy.world 2 points 2 hours ago

Stop assuming they actually mean well.

[–] Coskii@lemmy.blahaj.zone 10 points 10 hours ago

For most middle and low income families 'filing taxes' is how they get the amount they overpaid returned. If they cannot then the government keeps the extra.

[–] Mongostein@lemmy.ca 11 points 11 hours ago

Because Quickbooks and TurboTax or whatever wouldn’t be able to charge you out the ass

[–] Cocodapuf@lemmy.world 33 points 19 hours ago (2 children)

Really increasing efficiency there. You know... efficiency aside, making it easier to file taxes is one of the very few things that can actually make more money!

[–] floofloof@lemmy.ca 4 points 13 hours ago

Yes, but by "government efficiency" they mean shutting down everything the government does that might make poor people's lives less hellish. These are men who deeply need to believe they're better than everyone else, and have to continually prove that to themselves by means of cruelty and power games.

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[–] perestroika@lemm.ee 42 points 21 hours ago* (last edited 21 hours ago) (9 children)

A right-wing MAGA influencer called the "direct file" tax program a "far left /.../

Here in Estonia, the castle of "far left" in Europe (shh, don't spoil the joke, comrades, we want them to think we're dark red here ;) )...

...for something like 15 years already, you file your taxes like this:

  • some day in February, your internet bank reminds you to send a report to the tax office
  • you click "send"
  • some day in February, you read in a newspaper that "you can file your taxes now"
  • you open up emta.ee, log in with your ID card, and see a pre-filled declaration
  • if you're lucky (99% are), it's been filled correctly and you click "confirm", otherwise you click "edit"
  • you get to see if you have returns or need to pay extra
  • if you have returns, you can choose if you want the money (typically if it's big, you do) or want to donate the small change to a non-profit

It typically takes about 15 minutes.

If it's a bad year and the automatically filled declaration was incorrect, things will differ of course - then you wait until next winter for a court to resolve the dispute. If you can write a complaint in legalese, it costs about 20 €, but if you need a lawyer, you shell out real money. I've had a bad year once. Most people never have one.

[–] kungen@feddit.nu 11 points 17 hours ago

It's basically the same thing in Sweden, but in the rare chance that the tax agency makes a mistake, it's usually resolved before summertime without any court issues.

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[–] TheObviousSolution@kbin.melroy.org 10 points 16 hours ago

There's a term for this: entrapment.

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