4 ms·

This is deeply frustrating. I can not tell you how many people I see paying $200-300 for some random "tax preparer" set up in a corner mall or the front of a W

This is deeply frustrating. I can not tell you how many people I see paying $200-300 for some random "tax preparer" set up in a corner mall or the front of a WalMart simply because they do not understand there are a number of free resources that would prepare their 1040EZ for them at their income/complexity level. These same people get back a $1500 "return" so they think they are getting a good deal. Its pure greed and theft from some of the most needy members of our society. Absolute shame on everyone involved in this process.

zrail 8y ago
1040EZ no longer exists. It went away with the 1040 redesign this year.
nemo44x 8y ago
Apparently the $150 is worth it to these people over using their agency to google how they could file for free.
- perfmode 8y ago
  We can’t assume rational agents.
  - acjohnson55 8y ago
    Or perfect information. Or infinite time to acquire information.
anilakar 8y ago
In a libertarian society, a government using tax money to provide services counts as nation state sanctioned violence, but a private company doing the same for profit is called entrepreneurship. EDIT: Keep it coming! Every downvote proves I'm right.
- nybble41 8y ago
  What exactly were you trying to say? I mean, you're not wrong. Taxes are nation-state sanctioned violence, and private companies providing services in exchange for voluntary payments is correctly referred to as entrepreneurship. These are qualitatively different situations; one involves force and the other does not. The debate is not about the services. They may not be needed by everyone, or in the exact form the government provides, but there would still be at least some demand for them in the market if they weren't provided by the government. The question is whether these services are funded voluntarily or by force, by those who want them or by others who just happen to have the necessary resources.

zrail 8y ago

1040EZ no longer exists. It went away with the 1040 redesign this year.

nemo44x 8y ago

Apparently the $150 is worth it to these people over using their agency to google how they could file for free.

perfmode 8y ago
We can’t assume rational agents.
- acjohnson55 8y ago
  Or perfect information. Or infinite time to acquire information.

anilakar 8y ago

In a libertarian society, a government using tax money to provide services counts as nation state sanctioned violence, but a private company doing the same for profit is called entrepreneurship. EDIT: Keep it coming! Every downvote proves I'm right.

nybble41 8y ago
What exactly were you trying to say? I mean, you're not wrong. Taxes are nation-state sanctioned violence, and private companies providing services in exchange for voluntary payments is correctly referred to as entrepreneurship. These are qualitatively different situations; one involves force and the other does not. The debate is not about the services. They may not be needed by everyone, or in the exact form the government provides, but there would still be at least some demand for them in the market if they weren't provided by the government. The question is whether these services are funded voluntarily or by force, by those who want them or by others who just happen to have the necessary resources.