The article criticizes the tax preparation industry, arguing that individuals should not have to pay private companies to file taxes they are legally obligated to complete. It highlights how most taxpayers, despite being eligible for the IRS' Free File tool, choose to pay for software. The author suggests that the government already possesses much of the tax-relevant information, implying that tax filing could be streamlined or automated altogether, eliminating the need for costly private services.
As a comedian who specializes in scam identification, I would argue that paying for the privilege of paying taxes is bonkers and, yep, a scam.
Unlike regular taxes, this money doesn't fund roads or the Coast Guard, it goes to private companies who have historically used that money to make sure the system never gets better.
You shouldn't need a private company to fill out paperwork for you, but you also shouldn't have to fill out paperwork at all.
If you are a full-time W-2 employee who takes a standard deduction, it would be easy for the government to tell you how much you generally owe.
Collection
[
|
...
]