Hi,

When you go to file your taxes this week, you might get charged with a last-minute bill depending on how you file — even if you're using services advertised as free. 

That's because the IRS allows private tax prep companies to prey on taxpayers and make a profit off of something they're legally obligated to provide for free. Click here to tell the IRS we demand a free tax filing option! 

The IRS is required to provide an option for Americans to file our taxes online for free. But it effectively doesn't. For the past 20 years, the IRS has relied on predatory tax prep companies Intuit (TurboTax) and H&R Block to fulfill its legal obligation to offer free tax filing. And — surprise — those companies have deceived and exploited taxpayers in order to line their own pockets.1

Now, Intuit and H&R Block are finally leaving their contract with the IRS. This Tax Day, it's time for the IRS to finally provide every American with a free online option to file taxes!  

Sign the petition: The IRS must create a public website that Americans can easily use to file their taxes at no cost immediately! 

Intel and H&R Block's abuse of their arrangement with the US government is well-documented. Both companies deliberately hid their free filing options from tax filers, conning Americans into paying for their services last minute while using the IRS for free promotion of their company. 

Federal regulators are finally trying to hold these companies accountable. Last month, the FTC sued Intuit, one of the companies, for falsely advertising free file services.2 

This is a good first step, and now that Intuit and H&R Block have dropped out of the IRS Free File program, the IRS must put forward a solution that works for Americans.

As Senator Elizabeth Warren recently wrote on Twitter: "There's no reason to force Americans to deal with profit-seeking middlemen when they're trying to file their taxes. It's long past time for the IRS to use its power to create its own free tax preparation and filing system."3

Sign the petition: The private sector shouldn't be allowed to profit off our tax filing. Tell the IRS to offer a truly free tax filing system to everyone!

Thanks for taking action,

Izzi and the team at Demand Progress

Sources:
1. The New York Times, "Opinion: Americans Need a Real 'Free File' Program," July 19, 2021.
2. CNBC, "FTC sues TurboTax owner Intuit for advertising tax software as free," March 29, 2022.
3. Elizabeth Warren on Twitter, January 10, 2022.

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