Post Aaty3hanTg1InYmoiG by zompus@phire.place
(DIR) More posts by zompus@phire.place
(DIR) Post #AatxxPgf8WyrWoWzi4 by zompus@phire.place
2023-10-18T16:44:45Z
0 likes, 1 repeats
People criticize the government for moving slow but the timeline in this article looks lightspeed for any company:-Funding to develop the system released in 2022-Initial report to Congress in May 2023-Pilot project available for 2024 tax filing season.https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/10/irs-to-offer-free-tax-filing-in-competition-against-much-criticized-turbotax
(DIR) Post #AatxxXngyHMCgvsimG by tek@freeradical.zone
2023-10-18T17:39:10Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@zompus Turns out a web form that meets the needs of most people who have straightforward tax situations isn't all that hard.I mean, full credit to the gov't for doing it so quickly! But also boo to the tax prep software lobbyists who kept them from doing it for so many years.
(DIR) Post #Aaty3hanTg1InYmoiG by zompus@phire.place
2023-10-18T16:45:30Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
I have to think that the people at the IRS have had this idea in mind for decades and the initial "study" was just writing down all their ideas into a project plan.
(DIR) Post #Aaty3iLweNjZ9mqTCa by tek@freeradical.zone
2023-10-18T17:40:27Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@zompus I think you're right. “What would such a system look like, hypothetically?” An older agent gets up, pulls a book off a shelf, blows the dust off of it, and hands it to the analyst.
(DIR) Post #Aau06JlAk8eTey0wjo by scruss@xoxo.zone
2023-10-18T18:03:20Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@tek @zompus There already was FreeFileFillableForms, the govt-supplied but TaxPrepCo-designed system. I had to use it a few times for my partner's returns, and it was foul.Because it had clearly been developed with a "the government must not provide a value-added service!" mindset, its idea of helpful error messages were XPath validation warnings for missing fields. I am a big ol' XML nerd tho, so we got the filings done despite that