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Dear John,
It’s tax season, and the deadline to file is fast approaching!
Most of us have not filed a paper tax return in many years. It’s so much easier to use an online tax preparation tool, such as H&R Block or TurboTax, to file electronically. Just answer a series of questions and let the program figure out what we owe and how to fill out the forms.
It’s easy, but until now, we’ve had to pay a middleman corporation for this convenience. Not only does this mean we are trusting a third party with our Social Security numbers and all our sensitive tax information, but these tools also steer people away from using the Internal Revenue Service’s existing free filing options, which have been available to just some taxpayers depending on the complexity of the return.
Now, however, the IRS has developed online tax filing software that is as easy to use as the private company versions we have become used to. It too uses a question-and-answer based format, and it too would enable us to file our taxes directly online, no paper required. But unlike the other services, this would be provided to taxpayers free of charge.
Unless, of course, it is prevented by the tax preparation industry. TurboTax has spent millions to lobby against making this software widely available.
The IRS has the software available for us to file our taxes online for free, but now we need to show strong support to beat the for-profit e-filing lobby! Sign the petition to show the IRS your support now!
We shouldn’t have to pay a third party company to file our taxes electronically. This was part of why President Biden included $80 billion for new IRS funding in last year’s Inflation Reduction Act. Intended in part to increase enforcement to go after wealthy tax cheats, the funding was also intended to modernize the IRS and make it more customer friendly and effective.
Simple tax preparation software will make it much easier for everyone to pay their taxes, regardless of how much money they make or how well they can work through complicated instructions. With no profit motive, the tax filing process can be geared to the needs of taxpayers, not to corporations trying to sell us more and more of their product.
To have a free and easy option available for filing our taxes would be especially helpful for those taxpayers who are most financially strapped.
Why should we give away our Social Security numbers and all our private tax information to a private corporation? When the IRS finally offers free e-filing, we can eliminate the middleman, making this task more convenient and accessible to us all.
Tell the IRS to make this option widely available to everyone now.
Let’s make a stand for the free and easy filing of taxes!
Robert Reich
Inequality Media Civic Action
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