this post was submitted on 28 Jul 2023
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Politics

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Filing your taxes could be free starting this year. The IRS is running a direct-file pilot program. The goal is to make companies like TurboTax obsolete through a system where your taxes are filled out for you. But tax prep companies are spending millions to block them.

Why are Intuit and H&R Block so against making filing your taxes free and easy? Because they're making billions by charging you. Americans spend $31 billion each year on tax filing.

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[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago (1 children)

What a backward system we have in filing taxes. Explaining the system to teenagers makes me apologize to them for how stupid the system is. Hope to see more progress in this goal.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

The fun part is explaining to all your European friends that you still not only have to file tax forms, but also have to report to Uncle Sam exactly how much money is in your European bank account year after year even if you’re settled abroad, married with kids, and haven’t set foot on American soil in over a decade. If you forget to report and they catch you, they just get to take it.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yay, jumping on the bandwagon other countries have been using for YEARS!!!

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

That's true of so, so many things when it comes to the US.

Though to be fair, Canada is in the same boat here, and the whole situation is frankly sad.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

I feel for you guys. I hope this comes off for you. In Australia we have had free, pre-filled returns for a while. 5 minutes and it's beer o'clock.