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It's automatic here in Sweden too. They send out a document basically saying "this is what we know about your finances and this is the resulting tax effect" and

It's automatic here in Sweden too. They send out a document basically saying "this is what we know about your finances and this is the resulting tax effect" and if everything checks out then you just digitally sign it and you're good to go. And if you have any modifications you need to do, you can do those digitally as well. No mess, easy-peasy.

zackelan 11y ago
Similar systems have been proposed in the US as well. [0] Disappointingly but unsurprisingly, Intuit (the makers of TurboTax, the most popular tax prep software in the US) spent millions of dollars lobbying the federal government to oppose return-free filing. [1] 0: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/16/technology/personaltech/turbotax-or-irs-as-tax-preparer-intuit-has-a-favorite.html http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/16/technology/personaltech/tu... 1: http://techcrunch.com/2013/03/27/turbotax-maker-funnels-millions-to-lobby-against-easier-tax-returns/ http://techcrunch.com/2013/03/27/turbotax-maker-funnels-mill...
- basseq 11y ago
  The other opponent—surprisingly—are taxpayer advocacy groups. Automatic returns are tied closely to data integrity. The IRS doesn't have a full picture until all Information Returns (IRs: e.g., W-2s, 1040s, 1099s) are submitted by employers, banks, etc., which may not happen until March in some cases. This means that the IRS can't automatically process your return until March/April. Not a problem, you say? Well, consider this: tax returns in the U.S. are closely tied to tax refunds, which for many Americans, is the largest check they receive all year. So by "fixing" this process, you're affecting real dollars to real Americans, and disproportionately lower-income Americans. It's a political nightmare. Of course, the "refund" process also indicates a broken system: taxpayers are loaning the U.S. government billions of dollars a year, tax free. And an automatic return system would massively reduce fraud (both evasion and refund fraud)... so...

zackelan 11y ago

Similar systems have been proposed in the US as well. [0] Disappointingly but unsurprisingly, Intuit (the makers of TurboTax, the most popular tax prep software in the US) spent millions of dollars lobbying the federal government to oppose return-free filing. [1] 0: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/16/technology/personaltech/turbotax-or-irs-as-tax-preparer-intuit-has-a-favorite.html http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/16/technology/personaltech/tu... 1: http://techcrunch.com/2013/03/27/turbotax-maker-funnels-millions-to-lobby-against-easier-tax-returns/ http://techcrunch.com/2013/03/27/turbotax-maker-funnels-mill...

basseq 11y ago
The other opponent—surprisingly—are taxpayer advocacy groups. Automatic returns are tied closely to data integrity. The IRS doesn't have a full picture until all Information Returns (IRs: e.g., W-2s, 1040s, 1099s) are submitted by employers, banks, etc., which may not happen until March in some cases. This means that the IRS can't automatically process your return until March/April. Not a problem, you say? Well, consider this: tax returns in the U.S. are closely tied to tax refunds, which for many Americans, is the largest check they receive all year. So by "fixing" this process, you're affecting real dollars to real Americans, and disproportionately lower-income Americans. It's a political nightmare. Of course, the "refund" process also indicates a broken system: taxpayers are loaning the U.S. government billions of dollars a year, tax free. And an automatic return system would massively reduce fraud (both evasion and refund fraud)... so...