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>If the companies producing tax filing software were solving a problem for their users then why shouldn't they exist

Because the "problem" they're solving has been solved in other countries without a profitable middleman. Intuit's continued existence in this space is dependent on their lobbying team.

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That's a slightly different issue though. Just saying that because the government has offered a solution to the problem of filing taxes doesn't automatically imply that no other organizations that are solving the same problem deserve to exist.

I suppose if you are arguing that the one and only reason that tax preparation software is needed is because of Intuit's lobbying then that could be true, but Intuit's lobbying is only part of what has led to a complex tax code.

Yes, the one and only reason tax preparation software is needed for normal people with normal incomes and expenses in 2023 is because of Intuit's lobbying. That's why people are upset about it.

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