Did you watch the Super Bowl last night?
You might have seen an ad from Intuit TurboTax, where a guy was dancing in front of a fountain without a care in the world, free to frolic because he was getting TurboTax to do his taxes for him.
Sounds happy and peaceful, right? But I was just about ready to throw my remote at the TV screen.
Why? Because tax prep giants — including TurboTax — have spent decades, and tens of millions of dollars, lobbying Washington to make tax filing as much of a hassle as possible. All so they can maximize profits by reeling in frustrated taxpayers, often with misleading marketing that steers people away from free options.
And after wringing profits out of working families at tax time, they can afford to shell out millions of dollars for fancy Super Bowl ads.
So the ad was basically like an arsonist bragging about charging money to put out the fire they started.
Let’s fight back together. Add your name if you agree that we need a tax filing system that works for working people, not tax prep corporations — with free, simplified filing.
If companies like TurboTax weren’t throwing extra hurdles in front of taxpayers, then maybe the guy in the ad could dance in front of the fountain with a few extra hundreds in his wallet — money that he wouldn’t have to hand over to TurboTax.
Because the IRS could have filed his taxes for him. For free.
You see, every year, when your W2s and 1099s come in the mail, your employer has already sent a copy to the government. So it’s no secret: The IRS already knows how much you make before you file your taxes.
So instead of all the scrambling, calculating, and late nights, you could simply get a pre-filled tax form based on information the IRS already has. You’d confirm the information, and send it back. A free filing system would take the head-ache — and the expense — out of doing your taxes.
I’ve spent years fighting for a free, simple federal tax filing system. And with the funding that Democrats passed through Congress last year, we’re closer than ever to making it happen. I’m staying in the fight until we get this done.
Add your name to say you agree: We need a free, simple federal tax filing system. As a grassroots movement, we can beat the corporate tax prep lobby, as long as we fight side by side.
Thanks for being a part of this,
Elizabeth
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