>there's an obvious conflict of interest (the IRS has no reason to help find deductions and/or assist me in minimizing my tax bill) The IRS doesn't receive a c

>there's an obvious conflict of interest (the IRS has no reason to help find deductions and/or assist me in minimizing my tax bill) The IRS doesn't receive a cut of the taxes they collect, so I don't see the conflict. They've been known to contact people who overpayed so they could send a check. If the IRS system is found to be negligently ignoring valid deductions, that'll cause a hullabaloo picked up on by politicians. Things should change. If Turbo Tax is found to ignore valid deductions, they'll lose a small portion of users who follow the news and know about equally-priced alternatives. Chances are, they'll keep on trucking just fine. >and I'd rather not give them any more visibility than I have to into my personal finances. What kind of information do you think an online form would collect that wouldn't already be on the tax forms you submit today?