4 ms·

>You're paying for a service that should be provided for free by the IRS, as happens in many other developed countries. But Turbotax is free for 1040EZ filers.

>You're paying for a service that should be provided for free by the IRS, as happens in many other developed countries. But Turbotax is free for 1040EZ filers. It's only in an instance where you would otherwise just hire a tax accountant that they charge you. In terms of SAAS pricing, it comes out to like $15/month annualized. It's a bargain IMO.

toomuchtodo 6y ago
It's unacceptable to argue that it should be free for some, but not for everyone. It's not a bargain, it's unnecessary regulatory capture, for what my government should be providing at no cost to all citizens who are required to file returns. Private electronic tax filing systems (and the fees they charge) should not exist.
Nextgrid 6y ago
I believe they also use dark patterns to direct people towards the paid version even if the free one would be fine for your needs.
lotsofpulp 6y ago
>It's only in an instance where you would otherwise just hire a tax accountant that they charge you. This is false. There's no need for 90% of people to hire an accountant to file their state tax return, for which Intuit charges.
Kalium 6y ago
> It's only in an instance where you would otherwise just hire a tax accountant that they charge you. This is false. It's plenty possible to be in neither scenario, and every year millions of Americans are. Further, the 1040EZ system no longer exists. Tax filers often charge for "tax accountant" services like having a moderate income or filing state taxes.
dcist 6y ago
Not true. If you have any capital markets gains, you have to pay TurboTax. I don't need a tax accountant to report simple capital gains. If you have side hustle income, you have to pay TurboTax. Basically, if you're reporting any income other than your standard day job, you have to pay. And TurboTax has done things like advertising free filing but only offering free federal filing and finding out you have to pay for state filing only after you've filled out your federal forms. It's just a scammy business that relies on lobbying and governmental pressure to stay afloat.
germinalphrase 6y ago
> But Turbotax is free for 1040EZ filers. It's only in an instance where you would otherwise just hire a tax accountant that they charge you. This is incorrect in practice. Through dark patterns and otherwise, an extremely small minority filing without paying even if they should be “eligible” (which is itself an absurd position).

toomuchtodo 6y ago

It's unacceptable to argue that it should be free for some, but not for everyone. It's not a bargain, it's unnecessary regulatory capture, for what my government should be providing at no cost to all citizens who are required to file returns. Private electronic tax filing systems (and the fees they charge) should not exist.

Nextgrid 6y ago

I believe they also use dark patterns to direct people towards the paid version even if the free one would be fine for your needs.

lotsofpulp 6y ago

>It's only in an instance where you would otherwise just hire a tax accountant that they charge you. This is false. There's no need for 90% of people to hire an accountant to file their state tax return, for which Intuit charges.

Kalium 6y ago

> It's only in an instance where you would otherwise just hire a tax accountant that they charge you. This is false. It's plenty possible to be in neither scenario, and every year millions of Americans are. Further, the 1040EZ system no longer exists. Tax filers often charge for "tax accountant" services like having a moderate income or filing state taxes.

dcist 6y ago

Not true. If you have any capital markets gains, you have to pay TurboTax. I don't need a tax accountant to report simple capital gains. If you have side hustle income, you have to pay TurboTax. Basically, if you're reporting any income other than your standard day job, you have to pay. And TurboTax has done things like advertising free filing but only offering free federal filing and finding out you have to pay for state filing only after you've filled out your federal forms. It's just a scammy business that relies on lobbying and governmental pressure to stay afloat.

germinalphrase 6y ago

> But Turbotax is free for 1040EZ filers. It's only in an instance where you would otherwise just hire a tax accountant that they charge you. This is incorrect in practice. Through dark patterns and otherwise, an extremely small minority filing without paying even if they should be “eligible” (which is itself an absurd position).