In April 2019, Congress passed the Taxpayer First Act which made it illegal for the IRS to create its own online system of tax filing. The IRS system would allow taxpayers to file their taxes on the IRS website without having to pay to use private tax filing services or software. Tax software companies including the maker of TurboTax and H&R Block lobbied congress to pass the bill. Countries including Spain, Denmark and Sweden use a “return-fee filing system that gives taxpayers pre-filled forms using information from employers and banks. Proponents argue that the free filing system would save a collective $2 billion and 225 million hours in prep costs and time. Opponents, including Intuit the maker of TurboTax, argue that such a system would cause taxpayers to make mistakes in their fillings and end up paying more in taxes.
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@ISIDEWITH6yrs6Y
Yes
@9KTMH6Q1yr1Y
The government already spends too much and has little to show for it. This would just be another endless spend and have inefficient results.
@9FJDDRS2yrs2Y
Most kids just have parents that have failed to be present and haven't been taught adulthood i feel this would be best for them because its a way for them to learn along the way of filing their taxes.
@9FB8LPG2yrs2Y
Is it a coincidence just a coincidence that the companies who charge people to file their taxes are against initiatives that would make paying taxes easier?
@9G8RX2C2yrs2Y
Most kids just have parents that have failed to be present and haven't been taught adulthood i feel this would be best for them because its a way for them to learn along the way of filing their taxes.
@ISIDEWITH6yrs6Y
No, but I would prefer to eliminate income taxes and abolish the IRS
@B288NGT 5mos5MO
Replacing it with a simpler, consumption based tax system would lead to cost savings, reduce compliance burdens and economic growth
@ISIDEWITH6yrs6Y
No
@9KTMH6Q1yr1Y
Look at every government program and how it doesn't work yet costs so much money we as a country don't have.
@9FB8LPG2yrs2Y
I think that the use of electronic information could potentially lead to more fraud due to the lack of real written documents.
@9FJDDRS2yrs2Y
Although there could be some cons on free tax filing i feel this would be the best for kids who parents that have failed to teach them how to file taxes and the importance of it.
@79TQH3C5yrs5Y
No, the IRS should switch to a system of auto-completion of tax forms similar to other countries where the onus of completion falls on the IRS rather than the individual.
@99QKJX32yrs2Y
Yes, as long as people have the option to use the traditional filing system
@9WGS9N6Libertarian7mos7MO
Yes, and tax codes should be simplified so regular citizens don't need advanced training to be able to accurately pay their taxes
@9D74Y6PIndependent2yrs2Y
@8TYH38SIndependent2yrs2Y
Yes, and use a return-free filing system like Spain
@9CWCGZL2yrs2Y
Eliminate the income tax and add a VAT tax to all goods and services. This would ensure everyone pays their fair share. The more you spend the more you pay. You could exempt food and medicine. Or you could exempt the first 25000 of income through a rebate to every person. This would encourage those who work under the table to come out from the shadows and claim their income. If they did not they still would pay the VAT tax on all goods and services including the first 25000 they earn.
@RepublicLemurSocialist2yrs2Y
A VAT tax can be regressive, i.e., it can disproportionately affect lower-income individuals or families. For instance, while high-income earners can save or invest a larger proportion of their income, lower-income individuals often have to spend a larger part, if not all, of their income on basic goods and services, even if food and medicine are exempt. This could mean they end up paying a higher proportion of their income in taxes compared to wealthier individuals.
A rebate of $25,000 of income could help mitigate this to some extent, it also assumes that all individuals and families have stable, predictable incomes. In reality, many people, especially those working in the gig economy or other informal sectors, have irregular incomes that can fluctuate widely from month to month.
@B4V6JVR4wks4W
Yes, but I would prefer to have the IRS automatically calculate and charge taxes, with taxpayer only needing to submit information relevant to deductions.
@9PYFCGB 11mos11MO
Even better, the IRS should send everyone a bill or a check in April 15th. Let THEM calculate our taxes, especially everyone who uses a 1040 or 1040EZ.
@9M83JSX1yr1Y
Regardless, filing taxes should not be the circus it is now. The IRS is well aware of what most citizens make annually and know what type of filing to expect. Make it easier to file by following a method similar to what Japan does instead, or something of the like.
@9DMXBB92yrs2Y
Yes, this will save time and money for the average taxpayer
@9DM8MP32yrs2Y
Yes, but I want a simplified tax code.
@9DJ4K8X2yrs2Y
Eliminate the current tax code and create a flat tax rate for all with no exemptions.
@9DB68VS2yrs2Y
No, private companies do it better now than the government could.
@9D9HT732yrs2Y
Ir should be free to people who dont make much money during the year.
@9D9GC93Independent2yrs2Y
Yes, this would save time and money for everyone involved
@9D74W3VWorking Family2yrs2Y
Yes, but for low income and seniors only. A nominal pittance for the rest.
@9D644FS 2yrs2Y
Yes, and should automate the collection and disbursement of taxes
@9D4ZTQFLibertarian2yrs2Y
Yes, but I would rather reform the tax code to make the IRS irrelevant.
@9D3X465Progressive2yrs2Y
Yes, TurboTax and Intuit together represent a completely unnecessary multi-billion dollar industry that is propped up by the government's refusal to simplify and cheapen the process of filing taxes, which in turn is maintained at great cost by the heavy influence exerted on lawmakers by the myriad lobbyists that these companies spend millions and millions of dollars on annually, all arguing for keeping the status quo.
No other country has such a predatory and completely illogical system for filing taxes and paying/receiving what you (are) owe(d).
@8CMSX6T5yrs5Y
Yes, but I’d prefer to abolish the IRS
@9ZGCCJR6mos6MO
Simplify taxes. Have a set tiered tax amount based on income. Everyone pays based on their bracket. No exceptions.
@9YF4S6J7mos7MO
Yes, provide the choice to use that or go to a professional. However, taxes should be 100% transparent and "user-friendly." There should never be so much lack of transparency that a person might fear going to jail or owing way more than they thought because of arbitrary laws or policies that surprise them during filing.
@9XQ6CS2Libertarian7mos7MO
Yes, you shouldn't have to pay to recieve or pay money rightfully earned. IRS / income tax should be abolished.
@9X9W8XG7mos7MO
Yes, but the system of who gets taxed and how much they are taxed seems rather unfair as low income households struggle to afford to pay taxes meanwhile insanely rich households or companies seems to avoid paying them all together. Not to mention the middle class income struggles too as low middle class suffer the same issues as low income households but on a larger scale. Meanwhile the amount of people in middle class households compared to both lower and high class is concerning small, making it very apparently the discrepancy between the income of lower class citizens compare to higher class citizens
@9VWKMQN7mos7MO
They already know how much they taxed you, you should not have to file. Instead you should receive a return/invoice and a letter that serves as a receipt/explanation for under collection.
@Sara-M-HoganDemocrat8mos8MO
Yes, and tell people what they owe. The IRS should stop forcing them to calculate it independently when they know exactly how much they owe.
@9VGX2PQ8mos8MO
I think we can create a electronic tax filling system but in the future when technology might be more reliable.
@9V7SGWSPeace and Freedom8mos8MO
In a way where the IRS cannot be hacked and will also require manual labor where only the employees with legal access can do.
@9TY9WHX8mos8MO
I should get a bill from the IRS telling me what I owe them. They already know, why do I have to play this guessing game with them?
@9TRXL3N8mos8MO
Yes, I believe if we are required to pay and file taxes, it should be free. Overall I believe that the IRS and income taxes should be greatly reduced or abolished.
@9TRSZ2R8mos8MO
Yes, and private tax preparation services should inform users of its availability before they can continue
@9TQ8JH68mos8MO
Yes> Electronic filing reduces errors and saves the IRS considerable costs of employing seasonal workers to manually enter data from paper returns into the system. It also speeds the time needed to process refunds. Without question it is best if taxpayers use electronic filing, but it is unfair to REQUIRE people to PAY for that service. "Big Tax Software" (Turbo Tax, HR Block, others) promised to provide free filing services to certain taxpayers but have dropped the ball on this BIG TIME by deceiving taxpayers who should have qualified for free filing into paying for their services. They have proven that they cannot be trusted to do the job so it is up to the IRS to do it.
@9TDDT8X8mos8MO
Yes, but it should be an advanced system like HR Block or Turbo Tax that would help keep taxpayers from making mistakes.
@9SSTJDX9mos9MO
No, cause they already have one. They just need to stop letting Intuit lobby in favor of making it extremely complicated to force people to use turbotax
@9SP2Q6K9mos9MO
So you know exactly what I owe you but I have to figure it out myself and if I’m wrong I go to prison?
@9SLYQR29mos9MO
The IRS should automatically collect taxes and allow for corrections, like other developed countries, not force citizens to calculate it themselves or with the assistance of businesses.
@9SKWHNZ9mos9MO
Yes, but also provide a free course on how to file for your own taxes, to ensure to under-reporting or over reporting
@9S9YCKZ9mos9MO
This has existed for several years. It should be expanded to be free to everyone who earns income on a W2 or 1099, of $100k or less.
@9RRGLLG 10mos10MO
No, but the IRS should not require taxes to be actively filed by individuals unless they would like to submit additional tax-breaks.
@9RPWT9810mos10MO
YES, the IRS already has all the information it needs. The US needs to join the rest of the 1st world countries and just either mail a bill of check for the amount due / owed.
@9RKSKNP10mos10MO
No, Cyber-terrorists would might be able to get in the network and stop everything and the economy would come to a crash and thus making the country worse.
@9RD5T9510mos10MO
Yes, but I would prefer that income tax be eliminated completel and the IRS be directed to oversee other funds
@9LRSP9Y1yr1Y
Yes, and tell the taxpayer what they owe directly to the IRS, so the taxpayer doesn't have to waste important time figuring out how to file their taxes
@9LJJY8L1yr1Y
Malfunctions in algorithms could cause inaccuracy in the filing of ordinary values that aren’t calculated through an equation, and in values where equations are concerned. This could lead to the government giving unjustified penalties to taxpayers in areas where they hadn’t truly made a mistake, or failed to pay in time.
@9KTZF921yr1Y
Yes. Anything to make it easier/cheaper for people to do their taxes. Also, maybe stop tax firms from lobbying for more complicated tax laws deterring people from doing their own taxes and making people think the IRS is the issue both to increase their revenue (yeh, yeh 1st amendment I know.)
@9JTJWZ5 1yr1Y
No. I'm semi-in favor of abolishing the IRS, but there is a catch. The corruption will go even deeper. Politicians (whether they preach being pro- or anti-IRS) have sent a portion of our tax dollars to Israhell.
The government should stop accepting lobbying from tax filing companies and instead should file our taxes for us.
@9JJ82N21yr1Y
I think that if they are able to work the system to negate the ability to overpay then it would be a smart ideas especially with most of the world's functions being digital now.
No because there could be errors or mix up due to the most likely overwhelming amount of filing taxes being submitted. It would also create a harder time for accountants due to their job being done for free and by a robot who does it faster.
@9HJYQ851yr1Y
A return-fee filing system like those of Spain, Denmark, and Sweden may be more beneficial to citizens
@9G4KBDJLibertarian 2yrs2Y
Yes, it should be easy and free to lawfully file taxes. But if there were an option to abolish the IRS that would be my go to.
@9GWQ76H2yrs2Y
Yes, but it'd be preferable if we were provided pre-filled forms using information from employers and banks and if we outlawed lobbying.
@9GF8Y882yrs2Y
Yes, and the tax code should be simplified so that the layman can understand how to file their own taxes
@9GBXJ5T2yrs2Y
Yes if private market solutions are insufficient. Paying taxes shouldn't cost a lot of money for the average American
Yes, and drastically simplify the tax code to reduce confusion among the tax-paying public and crack down on the wealthy who don’t pay their fair share
@9FDPYLC2yrs2Y
Should move to a flat tax based off the current GDP
Yes, and tax-filing should be included in education
@BuffaloChips62 2yrs2Y
No, Go to a Flat Income tax of 15% of Gross Income, greatly simply the process.
@9F8QS8H2yrs2Y
Yes, as long as measures are put in place to insure no tampering of this system
@9F3YVD62yrs2Y
Literally just go by TurboTax and make it public domain
@9F39NT32yrs2Y
The IRS should tell people what they owe or are receiving. Taxes shouldn't be a guessing game.
@9F3393D2yrs2Y
The IRS should be abolished by passing the FairTax legislation.
@9DYW6TQ2yrs2Y
No, the IRS should do the taxes for the people like the UK does.
@9DX79WD2yrs2Y
No, abolish the IRS and byild it anew tip down.
@9DRQXV92yrs2Y
Yes, plus they should create a free program to teach people how to do their taxes, if the citizenso chooses to do so
@9ZLXRGX6mos6MO
Yes, as long as people can still choose whether to use traditional tax filing systems or the free IRS system.
@9HSMSVL1yr1Y
They already have, and it's garbage. We need Return Free taxes, which many countries in the EU have been using for decades now with much success.
@9HSK5NS1yr1Y
Yes, and Americans should be taxed on GAIN, that is the amount leftover (if any) after mandatory cost of living items such as food, shelter, transportation, and utilities are paid.
@9FXN6YWProgressive2yrs2Y
The IRS already has the resources to do everyone’s taxes. We should abolish the practice of preparing our own taxes.
@5ZYN8CZ 2yrs2Y
Yes and your tax bill should be automatically compiled for you, the existing system is just a carve-out for companies like Turbo Tax and H&R Block.
@9FPNX8P2yrs2Y
@9FNLQR92yrs2Y
I don't pay taxes because I don't make a lot of money
@9DWCBD22yrs2Y
Yes, but the IRS is such a mess that I don’t think they could do it well enough anytime soon.
@TonyForCA 2yrs2Y
Yes, and tell citizens the exact amount they owe in taxes
@9BWMNGVLibertarian2yrs2Y
Yes, but I would prefer to eliminate income taxes and abolish the IRS (or greatly diminish its power).
@ZEKECMEBANE5yrs5Y
Yes, but I would prefer to eliminate income tax for those who make less than $100,000/year and abolish the IRS
@93NQ4DF3yrs3Y
@9CQWTRG2yrs2Y
Yes, but I would prefer to eliminate income taxes and abolish the ITS
@9C2NH9J2yrs2Y
Yes, but also make doing your taxes simpler or just tell people how much they owe in taxes without having them try to figure it out.
@9BXCHQB2yrs2Y
Yes. At least make it headache free while robbing us.
@9BX5JX82yrs2Y
It only should be an exception, if you are financially struggling
@9BMYW55Progressive2yrs2Y
No I like our methods of filing.
@9BLXCSG2yrs2Y
Yes, and make it comprehensive and user friendly
@9B223ZD2yrs2Y
I agree that the IRS should create feee electronic tax filing system but to endure no ones makes mistakes I feel that free service shall also guide them so no mistakes are made.
No, abolish the IRS and replace it with a community-owned tax filling system
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