Howto: file your taxes for free without getting defrauded into paying a big tax-prep firm

Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2020/01/10/unfuck-your-taxes.html

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Why does no one ever mention the IRS Free File Fillable Forms?

This is available for free even if you make over $69,000 and are not otherwise eligible for Free File.

I’ve been doing my taxes this way for years.

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Intuit (Turbo Tax) has used deceitful tactics for a long time and is why I stopped using their products almost 20 years ago.

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My daughter got suckered into the Turbo Tax scam last year and I’m forever pissed at them for preying on people with small incomes this way. There will be a special place in hell for them, on the lower bunk below Donald Trump.

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And for Canadians:
https://www.studiotax.com/

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I don’t know about other states, but I qualify for free electronic filing, and I’ve always just clicked through from the Minnesota Department of Revenue website, with no confusion.

For 2019 taxes, they give six options (different companies), and list the various requirements for each, and which tax forms are supported by each, so you can compare and choose which of them you can use: https://www.revenue.state.mn.us/free-electronic-filing

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Does nobody just fill out the 2-page form, and maybe the form for itemized deductions, attach the W-2s, and send it in the mail anymore?

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This series of articles that we’ve seen recently has really illustrated the way US tax preparation has turned into a classic case of corporate gift and regulatory capture.

For contrast, currently in the UK, two thirds of taxpayers don’t even have to file a return, and for those who do, there’s a free, online service from from the tax authorities that allows you to input your details, and they’ll calculate the sum due for you. There is little or no “tax preparation industry” here (Apart from some accounting software sellers whose customers are small businesses).

This is yet another “industry” that adds to GDP, yet adds nothing useful to the universe, serving only to

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They fuck you up , your corporate dads. They mean to, and they do.

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I’ve used this the past 4 or 5 years. Completely free and there’s no upcharge for complicated returns. My wife runs a business and we have investment income. That tax situation is about 75 to 100 bucks with the others. Everything is supported and it’s totally free.

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Ha, indeed.

(If Larkin were alive today, he would’ve offed himself long ago.)

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