![]() ![]() H&R Block said in a statement the direct e-file pilot “continues to be a solution in search of a problem.”Ĭiting the free-filing options for Americans under a certain income threshold through the existing Free File Alliance, H&R Block said, “this pilot is unnecessary and faces significant barriers to providing comprehensive tax preparation services.” “An IRS direct-to-e-file system is redundant and will not be free – not free to build, not free to operate, and not free for taxpayers,” Plummer said, adding that it “will unnecessarily cost taxpayers billions of dollars.” IRS officials have estimated individual taxpayers pay an average of $140 preparing their tax returns each year.ĭerrick Plummer, a spokesman for Intuit, stressed the free options that already were available. That program consists of a public-private partnership of tax software companies that offers free services to certain taxpayers outside of the IRS website.Īdditionally, anyone can prepare and mail in their taxes for free, but the tax code is so complex that almost 50% of Americans use a tax prep company. The move “safeguards the IRS from an obvious conflict of interest where the tax collector becomes the tax preparer,” the bill’s summary states.Ī Government Accountability Report in April 2022 found that 70% of taxpayers were eligible to use an existing free-file program but just 3% actually used the service. Republicans on the House Appropriations Committee in June proposed a budget rider that would prohibit funds to be used for the IRS to create a government-run tax preparation software, unless approved by a group of House and Senate committees. That idea has faced the immediate threat of budget cuts from congressional Republicans. The goal is to test a direct file system that will help the IRS decide whether to move forward with a more permanent program. The IRS in May released a report that said most taxpayers are interested in filing their taxes directly to the IRS for free, and concurrently announced plans to launch the pilot program for the 2024 filing season. ![]() “Now the question for us is how do you channel that into effective political pressure.” ![]() “The overwhelming majority of people demand a free-file option,” Volsky said. taxpayers can easily file tax returns and get the tax credits they deserve by safeguarding and expanding” the new IRS program. The group’s mission is to “ensure all U.S. Volsky’s organization and leaders from Public Citizen, the Center for the Study of Social Policy, Code for America, the Economic Security Project and others launched the “Coalition for Free and Fair Filing” on Wednesday. “What we have on our side is public opinion,” said Igor Volsky, executive director of the liberal Groundwork Action advocacy group. ![]()
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