Maker of TurboTax Fought Free, Simple Tax Filing

[newthinking]

A little something to read while you are working on your favorite annual chore:

Intuit has spent millions lobbying to keep tax season miserable.


Imagine filing your income taxes in five minutes—and for free. You'd open up a pre-filled return, see what the government thinks you owe, make any needed changes, and be done. The miserable annual IRS shuffle, gone.

It's already a reality in Denmark, Sweden and Spain. The government-prepared return would estimate your taxes using information your employer and bank already send it. Advocates say tens of millions of taxpayers could use such a system each year, saving them a collective $2 billion and 225 million hours in prep costs and time, according to one estimate.

The idea, known as "return-free filing," would be a voluntary alternative to hiring a tax preparer or using commercial tax software. The concept has been around for decades and has been endorsed by both President Ronald Reagan and a campaigning President Obama.

"This is not some pie-in-the-sky that's never been done before," said William Gale, co-director of the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center. "It's doable, feasible, implementable, and at a relatively low cost."

So why hasn't it become a reality?

Well, for one thing, it doesn't help that it's been opposed for years by the company behind the most popular consumer tax software—Intuit, maker of TurboTax. Conservative tax activist Grover Norquist and an influential computer industry group also have fought return-free filing.

Intuit has spent about $11.5 million on federal lobbying in the past five years—more than Apple or Amazon. Although the lobbying spans a range of issues, Intuit's disclosures pointedly note that the company "opposes IRS government tax preparation."

Full article here: http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/03/intuit-turbotax-fought-free-simple-tax-filing

[onehandle]

1. We had the most complicated return of our lives this year. Cost us $300 to get done properly.

By a human.

Saved us six grand.

[newthinking]

2. Yes, this would not have been a good option for everyone. But it would for many millions

Imagine:

*Millions would not have to do a thing. Just verify and submit it back.

*Many, many other millions would have most of the information filled for them, and would just need to add some deductions or whatever else they needed to add, saving massive time. No more problems if one of your documents did not arrive or was wrong (no doubt you would be able to correct existing info in the form and submit it for verification.


It would also tend to move us toward a more simplified tax system.

[MattBaggins]

3. Grover Nordquist opposed it?

scumbag

[Shankapotomus]

4. Good to know

I was just about to use TurboTax to file last week but didn't. They won't be getting my business.

But what's this?:

http://www.irs.gov/uac/Free-File:-Do-Your-Federal-Taxes-for-Free

[tabbycat31]

5. that reminds me i have to do my own taxes

And I'm dreading them. I need something online that lets me file two states (NJ, VA) and not make me do something in person.

[SheilaT]

6. Our tax system is unnecessarily complicated.

Too many exceptions, exemptions, special tax credits and so on.

Doing my taxes myself is simply not possible, so I pay several hundred dollars every year. I don't mind the amount of taxes I have to pay, I do mind that the filing is so hard.

[Egalitarian Thug]

7. Of course it is. There is no way to hide the truly obscene giveaways and welfare we pay to our

masters every year in a simple and straight-forward tax code. They need the absurd complexity to hide who they are giving our money to.

[jsr]

8. Another example of corporate welfare queens leeching off the system