I’m so tired of paying HR Block $300/year to do my taxes, which has no tax return because I do my deductions carefully. Why can’t we have a straightforward system like the rest of the world??
Because Congress creates really, really complicated tax laws that reduce tax burdens for business losses and obviously favor a structure that if you’re wealthy enough you can exploit it for things that aren’t actually contributing to our economy. Regular person with a few deductions that might go over a standard deduction? You might want some help with that, even if you’re “doing it yourself” with the help of software (just like almost all of tax preparers do) or if you’re just doing a standard deduction, it is easy.
Why can’t you just fill out a 1040EZ in a webform and file online through the IRS?
Companies like Intuit lobby Congress so that the IRS can’t just make it easy for most people. For example, the IRS wanted to just have their own app on a website to help you do your taxes for free just like TurboTax but nope.
As an example, you can specifically blame Intuit as an example that has actively tried to limit the IRS making tax filing free and easy for most Americans.
The same thing has happened with weather in the US. NOAA/NWS pretty much provides all weather data and RADAR data to the public for free. They also provide a public API and all those weather apps either directly or indirectly get their data from there for the US.
Why don’t they have an app like all these weather services do? Well companies lobbied so NWS isn’t allowed to. The best they can do is provide a website that you can “use like an app.” Paying extra for that up-to-date RADAR feed in your weather app? Guess what? You already did through taxes and now you get to pay a private company to simply display it in their interface.
You can specifically blame AccuWeather as an example of a company that actively has tried to limit the NWS and actually lock the public out of the data that they paid for through taxes.
Congress has the power to end this non-sense but does not. I’m sure this won’t surprise anyone when I say this but US law is slanted towards empowering businesses and lowering accountability.
Oh lame, that must be fairly recent (last 3 years?) I only used them once and switched to TaxAct right after that experience, which I assume is even worse as smartphone-only. How do you even import P&L transaction sheets in a phone? That seems insane.
Same here, I have pay for the paid-versions of them because of the 3 different types of retirement funds, w2, 1099*, HSA, stocks, futures, and crypto across multiple exchanges. It is a nightmare to manage in any software ultimately, no matter how much I pay.
I started a thread on asklemmy to find out what are alternatives to scummy tax services that lobby against the better interests of tax payers. So far Tax Free USA seems like the one with the lowest cost (free Federal, $15 State) and while they are a member of a lobby group, the group has spent a fraction of what Intuit and H&R Block has to keep our tax returns complex.
I’m so tired of paying HR Block $300/year to do my taxes, which has no tax return because I do my deductions carefully. Why can’t we have a straightforward system like the rest of the world??
Because Congress creates really, really complicated tax laws that reduce tax burdens for business losses and obviously favor a structure that if you’re wealthy enough you can exploit it for things that aren’t actually contributing to our economy. Regular person with a few deductions that might go over a standard deduction? You might want some help with that, even if you’re “doing it yourself” with the help of software (just like almost all of tax preparers do) or if you’re just doing a standard deduction, it is easy.
Why can’t you just fill out a 1040EZ in a webform and file online through the IRS?
Companies like Intuit lobby Congress so that the IRS can’t just make it easy for most people. For example, the IRS wanted to just have their own app on a website to help you do your taxes for free just like TurboTax but nope.
As an example, you can specifically blame Intuit as an example that has actively tried to limit the IRS making tax filing free and easy for most Americans.
The same thing has happened with weather in the US. NOAA/NWS pretty much provides all weather data and RADAR data to the public for free. They also provide a public API and all those weather apps either directly or indirectly get their data from there for the US.
Why don’t they have an app like all these weather services do? Well companies lobbied so NWS isn’t allowed to. The best they can do is provide a website that you can “use like an app.” Paying extra for that up-to-date RADAR feed in your weather app? Guess what? You already did through taxes and now you get to pay a private company to simply display it in their interface.
You can specifically blame AccuWeather as an example of a company that actively has tried to limit the NWS and actually lock the public out of the data that they paid for through taxes.
Congress has the power to end this non-sense but does not. I’m sure this won’t surprise anyone when I say this but US law is slanted towards empowering businesses and lowering accountability.
FreeTaxUSA provides free federal filing, including Schedule C (Self-Employeed) and Schedule E (Rental Income). I’m sure they have more scenarios.
You pay for state but it’s usually a $12-15.
You can import your TurboTax/HR Block returns and it mostly does a good job bringing it in.
Have you looked into TaxAct or CreditKarma? Both seemed pretty good (compared to turbotax) when I tested them out.
Wasn’t CreditKarma bought out by Intuit? The same assholes who own Turbotax?
bought out and went smartphone only.
Oh lame, that must be fairly recent (last 3 years?) I only used them once and switched to TaxAct right after that experience, which I assume is even worse as smartphone-only. How do you even import P&L transaction sheets in a phone? That seems insane.
Yeah I make too much per year to qualify for the cheap options, plus I need to file my stock and cryptocurrency options plus my retirement.
Same here, I have pay for the paid-versions of them because of the 3 different types of retirement funds, w2, 1099*, HSA, stocks, futures, and crypto across multiple exchanges. It is a nightmare to manage in any software ultimately, no matter how much I pay.
I started a thread on asklemmy to find out what are alternatives to scummy tax services that lobby against the better interests of tax payers. So far Tax Free USA seems like the one with the lowest cost (free Federal, $15 State) and while they are a member of a lobby group, the group has spent a fraction of what Intuit and H&R Block has to keep our tax returns complex.
Seems if I link the thread, my comment is hidden.