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> The rent-seeking of tax preparation businesses is a bigger problem than these privacy issues. > But what the IRS is doing here is the correct prioritization

> The rent-seeking of tax preparation businesses is a bigger problem than these privacy issues. > But what the IRS is doing here is the correct prioritization I read this as: "saving money, and keeping it out of unscrupulous hands, is more important than preserving our privacy and freedom". I don't agree with that, and you shouldn't assume that others agree with your take.

sanderjd 3y ago
Yes, you read it correctly. We have an honest disagreement on this. I'm not sure what makes you think I am assuming others agree with my take. I'm just describing and arguing for my view on it. Indeed, I assume my take on that trade-off is the less popular one amongst the commenters, and perhaps also the readers, of this thread. But I do think it is the far more popular view among the population at large. And part of the reason I'm commenting here is to point that out.
- generalizations 3y ago
  Only reason I thought you were making that assumption was this line: "But what the IRS is doing here is the correct prioritization of problems to attack." It comes across as more than a personal opinion.
  - sanderjd 3y ago
    It's one of these frustrating things where I already feel like I add "in my view" and "in my opinion" and "I think" and "I feel like" to too many of my sentences, but then inevitably someone will read a statement of opinion as an attempt to state as fact something that is central to the dispute at hand. I've never been sure how to square this circle.
joshuamorton 3y ago
It's worth comparing to the status quo here, which is...TurboTax, which is not a better steward of your personal info. The government saying "we are being more scrupulous than TurboTax" from the start, with a clear plan to improve is really only net gains. And the normal objections about things being worse because government don't really apply, since the IRS ultimately needs and has this information anyway, the risk is just them sharing it.
- gostintheshell 3y ago
  The status quo for this level of filing is free fillable forms which AFAIK turbotax made under a restrictive contract that prevents them from involving data brokers and involving other private ventures. There's no justification for the IRS needing higher security than free fillable forms or normal turbo tax to deliver a similar self prepared efiling, so they are repeating the same crime the next level down, choosing a private system to provide something that benefits the IRS and is of negative value to the tax payer themself.
  - sanderjd 3y ago
    That is emphatically not the status quo.

sanderjd 3y ago

Yes, you read it correctly. We have an honest disagreement on this. I'm not sure what makes you think I am assuming others agree with my take. I'm just describing and arguing for my view on it. Indeed, I assume my take on that trade-off is the less popular one amongst the commenters, and perhaps also the readers, of this thread. But I do think it is the far more popular view among the population at large. And part of the reason I'm commenting here is to point that out.

generalizations 3y ago
Only reason I thought you were making that assumption was this line: "But what the IRS is doing here is the correct prioritization of problems to attack." It comes across as more than a personal opinion.
- sanderjd 3y ago
  It's one of these frustrating things where I already feel like I add "in my view" and "in my opinion" and "I think" and "I feel like" to too many of my sentences, but then inevitably someone will read a statement of opinion as an attempt to state as fact something that is central to the dispute at hand. I've never been sure how to square this circle.

joshuamorton 3y ago

It's worth comparing to the status quo here, which is...TurboTax, which is not a better steward of your personal info. The government saying "we are being more scrupulous than TurboTax" from the start, with a clear plan to improve is really only net gains. And the normal objections about things being worse because government don't really apply, since the IRS ultimately needs and has this information anyway, the risk is just them sharing it.

gostintheshell 3y ago
The status quo for this level of filing is free fillable forms which AFAIK turbotax made under a restrictive contract that prevents them from involving data brokers and involving other private ventures. There's no justification for the IRS needing higher security than free fillable forms or normal turbo tax to deliver a similar self prepared efiling, so they are repeating the same crime the next level down, choosing a private system to provide something that benefits the IRS and is of negative value to the tax payer themself.
- sanderjd 3y ago
  That is emphatically not the status quo.