Flush With $80B in Funding, the IRS Will Go "Beast Mode" on the Middle Class | Hacker News Reader

Flush With $80B in Funding, the IRS Will Go "Beast Mode" on the Middle Class

wsj.com

10 pointsmetadat9 comments

Is the WSJ Editorial Board also on the payroll of Intuit? Cause this terrible opinion piece seriously tries to make the argument that having an automatically computed tax bill and free e-file is a "bad idea".

An automatically computed tax bill is probably a bad idea, but not because you need Intuit or any other software. It’s because accountant can find you all kinds of loopholes.

I think the point the WSJ is trying to make is this: Today you tell the IRS how much you think you owe them and then pay that much. And it's incumbent on the IRS to figure out if you're wrong and prove that to you in the appropriate venue.

With automatic filing, the IRS will tell you how much you owe. And it becomes incumbent on you to prove them wrong. Under this model, taxes will calcify for poorer cohorts of filers who lack the means to contest a possibly unfair tax bill.

Personally I feel we need free filing. But I don't want the IRS doing my taxes for me each year and sending me the bill.

Personally, I trust the IRS more than I trust Intuit. There is no evidence you wouldn’t be able to contest an inaccurate automated return provided to you.

https://www.propublica.org/series/the-turbotax-trap

https://www.propublica.org/article/inside-turbotax-20-year-f...

https://www.propublica.org/article/turbotax-maker-intuit-wil...

https://www.ftc.gov/legal-library/browse/cases-proceedings/1...

https://hn.algolia.com/?q=propublica+intuit

If I worked for Intuit and had no soul I'd definitely be cultivating those relationships to manipulate perception in a favorable direction to the maximum, to ensure the cash cow can be milked as much and as long as possible.

I hate being obligated to file tax returns every year. Why are we all obligated to do extra accounting and legal research work every year just to settle a tax bill? It’d make more sense to only file a return if you disagree with whatever amount the irs withheld, like an appeal, but otherwise it should just be optional.

Yes, I'm with you 100%.

But maybe the thinking is then the rich's tax loophole people's ploy would be too obvious?

First, the IRS has been gutted over the past decade and more, so most of this money will help them just do their job. The money is being spread out over nine years. Secondly, the money has been allocated, but the plan for how it is to be used beyond "enforcement" earmark hasn't been detailed.

This is nothing more than a scare-mongering editorial with zero actual facts, because there aren't any to provide. It's pure speculation based on their warped worldview.

The WSJ's reasoning that the IRS will target the middle class because, "That's where the money is" and "the IRS knows the super-wealthy employ lawyers" is complete fictional nonsense. I can predict, with equal veracity, that the IRS will work top down, targeting the super rich and corporations first. Notice they didn't mention corporate tax enforcement? Doesn't fit the narrative. Something tells me this is the real reason that the WSJ is screeching about this, as they always do.

I also love how they transition from "only" $3.2 billion that will be used for phone support to the $15 million to be used to research the feasibility of free tax filing. Oh, and suddenly, the GDP is at record levels again, so why bother with enforcement at all? I assume they were OK with stating this because it isn't an article about Biden destroying the economy, otherwise that's the last thing you'd see. This article is pure right-wing propaganda.

But all of this is besides the point. If these people and organizations owe taxes, then they need to pay them, just like you and I do.

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