Filing taxes should be free and easy!
Petition to Congress and the IRS:
The IRS should make online tax filing free for everyone. Now that the two dominant tax prep companies have pulled out of their sweetheart deal with the IRS brokered under George W. Bush, it's time for the IRS to create a free public tax filing program!
Did you know that the IRS is required by federal law to provide an option for you to file your taxes online for free?
You probably didn't know that. That's because for the last 20 years, the IRS has allowed predatory tax prep companies Intuit (TurboTax) and H&R Block to provide this service to a limited number of Americans, instead of developing a public online filing system anyone can use. This costs American taxpayers billions of dollars each year.1
Now Intuit and H&R Block are leaving the program, hoping to leave Americans with no choice but to pay their exorbitant costs. Senator Elizabeth Warren is pushing the IRS to finally do what the law says it must: Provide every American with a free online option to file taxes!
Sign the petition: The private sector shouldn’t be allowed to profit off our tax filing!
Intuit and H&R Block's abuse of their arrangement with the US government is well-documented. Both companies deliberately hid their free filing options from tax filers, conning Americans into paying for their services while using the IRS for free promotion.
They've also profited off exclusive access to taxpayers' personal data — all thanks to a sweetheart deal brokered under the Bush administration.2
Then, news broke that both companies have dropped out of the IRS Free File program. Good riddance. Now, the IRS has a chance to finally do the right thing.
As Senator Elizabeth Warren recently wrote: "There's no reason to force Americans to deal with profit-seeking middlemen when they're trying to file their taxes. It's long past time for the IRS to use its power to create its own free tax preparation and filing system."3
Sign the petition: The IRS must create a public website that most Americans can use to file their taxes at no cost immediately!
Sources:
1. The New York Times, "Opinion: Americans Need a Real 'Free File' Program," July 19, 2021.
2. ProPublica, "Congress Is About to Ban the Government From Offering Free Online Tax Filing. Thank TurboTax," April 9, 2019.
3. Elizabeth Warren on Twitter, January 10, 2022.