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Tax filing in the US being so deeply intertwined with proprietary software is extremely unfortunate. I actually emailed Richard Stallman the first time I had to
by opan 17d ago
Tax filing in the US being so deeply intertwined with proprietary software is extremely unfortunate. I actually emailed Richard Stallman the first time I had to file to see what he does. He basically recommended grabbing the forms as PDFs, using xournalpp to edit/sign them, then print and mail them the old-fashioned way. I did do this but I found the process clunky and upsetting. I would kill to have some official government thing that's free software and covers all the common cases, or to have it automated like in other countries. I simply should not have to do this myself, it's ridiculous. I don't care about a tax refund either, just don't make me do this at all. Maybe leave the process optional for those who want to try to game the system and get some money back.
I don't see AI as a solution here as it's all rather murky and proprietary.
- scottyah 17d agoIt's not proprietary, they (tax companies) just want you to think that. It is very murky though, but you can fill out and file the proper forms yourself if you know what you're doing. Apparently, even the models last filing season did a great job. My uncle has been an accountant and done a lot of the family's taxes for decades. He did a parallel comparison and the llm did it perfectly. The models have improved since then as well. Of course, if you're (imo rightly) concerned with your data, you'll have to run them locally.