… but I fear it’s a conflict of interest.
An IRS plan to test drive a new electronic free-file tax return system next year has got supporters and critics of the idea mobilizing to sway the public and Congress over whether the government should set up a permanent program to help people file their taxes without needing to pay somebody else to figure out what they owe.
On one side, civil society groups this week launched a coalition to promote the move toward a government-run free-file program. On the other, tax preparation firms like Intuit — the parent company of TurboTax — and H&R Block have been pouring millions into trying to stop the idea cold. [AP]
Yes, yes, big greedy corporations are yelling, and that’s a red flag. But the government isn’t a third party, it’s a very interested party, while the big greedy corporations are forced to compete on minimizing your taxes.
There is a compromise, of course, of offering the service for simple tax returns. I wonder if they’ll find it.
