John,
The American taxpayer, on average, spends 13 hours preparing their tax return or pays around $250 to a professional tax preparer. With the recent announcement that the IRS is developing new software that would allow taxpayers to file their tax returns for free, the way we file taxes could change forever. But not if certain lawmakers—and the corporate lobbyists they listen to—have their way.
In the House of Representatives there’s a push to add a rider onto the appropriations bill that would ban the IRS from developing its own free tax filing software. Why? Because greedy tax preparation companies—like H&R Block and TurboTax—have spent the past 20 years (and millions of dollars) lobbying Congress to prevent a free, public tax filing system.1]
The American people support a free system. A recent study found that 72% of people are “very” or “somewhat” likely to use an IRS free filing system and 68% of taxpayers who prepare their own taxes reported being “very” or “somewhat” likely to use the IRS system.2
The U.S. needs to join 36 other industrialized countries and develop a free tax filing system.
You shouldn’t have to pay to file your taxes. Join us in calling on the IRS to develop a free tax filing software that everyone can use.
ADD YOUR NAME
Thank you for all you do,
Meredith Dodson Senior Director of Public Policy, Coalition on Human Needs
1 Inside TurboTax’s 20-Year Fight to Stop Americans From Filing Their Taxes for Free 2 GOP House Bill Would Hobble IRS, Bar Funding For Free Direct-File Tax Return System
--DEBORAH'S EMAIL--
John,
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently announced a new tax filing software that will go live for a select group of taxpayers in 2024. This question-based software will allow people to send their returns electronically to the government for free!
If broadly available, this software would allow Americans to avoid profit-hungry companies that act as middlemen when we file our taxes online.
But corporations like H&R Block and Intuit (the owners of TurboTax) are pushing back. And now, House Republicans have attached a rider to a funding bill that would prohibit the IRS from developing free tax filing software that would allow any taxpayer to file their taxes for free.
We can’t let corporate greed get in the way of performing a civic duty. The IRS must be allowed to develop free tax filing software for all. Add your name to demand free, online tax filing software be available to all taxpayers through the federal government, not through corporations that always put profits over human need.
ADD YOUR NAME
More than 20 years ago, a compromise was struck between the IRS and private tax preparation companies including Intuit and H&R Block, that would allow low-income taxpayers a free file option, and in return, the IRS would scrap plans to create their own free file program.1
Not surprisingly, this public-private partnership benefitted the tax preparers more than it did low-income taxpayers. That’s because private tax preparation companies were pulling dirty tricks to mislead taxpayers such as hiding the Free File landing page from online search engines and creating their own “free” edition of their software that misguided consumers and often led them into paying as much as $200.2
Americans shouldn’t have to pay profit-hungry companies in order to use a program to file taxes online. 36 industrialized countries including Germany, the United Kingdom, and Spain all use free tax return filing programs.3
It’s time the United States catches up with the rest of the world and provides a free tax filing system for all U.S. taxpayers.
Add your name to tell the IRS that you support free direct tax filing software that everyone can use.
Thank you for all you do,
Deborah Weinstein
Executive Director, Coalition on Human Needs
1 The IRS has a big opportunity to fix the way Americans file taxes
2 IRS Reforms Free File Program, Drops Agreement Not to Compete With TurboTax
3 How Could We Improve the Federal Tax System?
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