If you just have W2 income, there's no reason you can't fill out the regular 1040 form yourself. Sure might take you an hour or so, but no software to purchase. Just costs a stamp to mail it in!
https://www.gao.gov/blog/more-delays-ahead-pandemic-continue...
(Also, as noted in the parallel comment, the forms can be submitted online, separately from the Free File service)
We are know that the tax codes are intentionally complicated and big firms don't want government to fix them. Rules being complected allows having loopholes for certain people.
The tax code in the US (and the filing process) is overcomplicated for a variety of political, corporate, and cultural reasons.
The average US taxpayer is under-educated on finances generally and tax code specifically.
That said, the W-4 is one area that’s actually gotten simpler in recent years. I simultaneously think the tax code needs serious simplification and that the average person has the capacity to read a W-4 and get reasonably close on their withholding. The reason many of them don’t is because they like getting a refund check once a year.
For profit tax-co’s: do back door deals with the government to prevent lower-income/competence individuals from working directly with the gov’t while engaging in dark patterns to make the lower cost products harder to use/find
This guy: It’s the citizen’s fault and they get what they deserve for having other priorities than wealth management!
I think it’s fair to assume that all users want taxation to be as close to 0 overage as possible while also wanting all overage returned as quickly as possible. Anyone not working towards that sucks and is the universal enemy.
I know plenty of people who do not want their tax return to be close to zero. They like getting a big refund check back. This is the kind of person being described in the comment I replied to.