3 minutes ago, Patong2021 said:

So much for improving efficiency. It costs much more to process the manual return. The document must be scanned, the data must be keyed in. The AI reading tools that convert PDF to data inputs have a high rate of error and must be verified. The documents must be stored. What does DOGE have to say about this?

The state of Virginia placed income limits on free filing via its website.  This year, I owed the state $ 50, and it would have cost $ 69  to file via a paid service.   To spite the state, I sent a paper tax return and a check. 

Americans spend more than $100 billion each year to prepare and file their returns, according to the National Taxpayers Union Foundation. Direct File was developed as a method to help taxpayers avoid paying tax-prep and filing fees.

 

The IRS spent about $13 million on the Direct File pilot in 2024, according a December report from the GAO. That funding came from money the tax agency received from the Inflation Reduction Act, which Mr. Biden signed into law in 2022.

 

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/irs-direct-file-taxes-trump-elizabeth-warren-letter-democrats/

15 minutes ago, Thailand J said:

Americans spend more than $100 billion each year to prepare and file their returns, according to the National Taxpayers Union Foundation. Direct File was developed as a method to help taxpayers avoid paying tax-prep and filing fees.

 

The IRS spent about $13 million on the Direct File pilot in 2024, according a December report from the GAO. That funding came from money the tax agency received from the Inflation Reduction Act, which Mr. Biden signed into law in 2022.

 

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/irs-direct-file-taxes-trump-elizabeth-warren-letter-democrats/

The offering for the pilot or test was 13million for the first year.

To fully run was projected to be The IRS estimated annual costs for a fully operational Direct File program could range from $64 million to $249 million.

https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-24-107236#:~:text=What GAO Found,complexity of tax situations supported.

8 hours ago, riclag said:

Yup,

Sarcasm alert, Clean up on aisle butt hurt cause Biden's far left wanted to give billions in

free b's  until cost conscious administrators came in and took over .  

Yup.... back in the day they referred to that as "cutting off your nose to spite your face".  Direct File would save the government too much money in the long run.  Best to kill it now.

 

Besides that..... Direct File wouldn't save the billionaires any money because it probably wouldn't support all the tax dodges they love.  It would also free up so much staff that now the IRS could look more closely at the high income filers.

9 hours ago, riclag said:

Yup,

Sarcasm alert, Clean up on aisle butt hurt cause Biden's far left wanted to give billions in

free b's  until cost conscious administrators came in and took over .  

Very naive.   If there were any independent journalists left that haven't been scared into submission, I'd kindly ask them to investigate how much Intuit paid Trump & other Republican congressmen to make this happen.  They've been lobbying against IRS reform for years.  How strong is the current administration's corporate oversight?  Keep an eye on that and you'll see the real politics at play.  The right vs left crap keeps the populace (like you) entertained while the cookie jar is raided.   

 

Inside TurboTax’s 20-Year Fight to Stop Americans From Filing Their Taxes for Free — ProPublica

3 minutes ago, GiveMeAColdOne said:

Very naive.   If there were any independent journalists left that haven't been scared into submission, I'd kindly ask them to investigate how much Intuit paid Trump & other Republican congressmen to make this happen.  They've been lobbying against IRS reform for years.  How strong is the current administration's corporate oversight?  Keep an eye on that and you'll see the real politics at play.  The right vs left crap keeps the populace (like you) entertained while the cookie jar is raided.   

 

Inside TurboTax’s 20-Year Fight to Stop Americans From Filing Their Taxes for Free — ProPublica

 

TurboTax and the like are parasites, feeding off government required information processing. The least the government should do is provide a cost-free service for the taxes it wants you to pay. Paying to pay creates an entire industry of middlemen whose role is entirely superfluous.

14 minutes ago, John Drake said:

 

TurboTax and the like are parasites, feeding off government required information processing. The least the government should do is provide a cost-free service for the taxes it wants you to pay. Paying to pay creates an entire industry of middlemen whose role is entirely superfluous.

The latest 'national hero' (😆😢) could buy TurboTax with his loose pocket change.  Then, because he loves to safe Americans money he could donate it to the IRS.