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posted by martyb on Tuesday March 12 2019, @03:45AM   Printer-friendly
from the death-and-taxes dept.

"...Filing your taxes has never been faster or easier, especially if you do it online....the DIY approach may cost little or nothing....Most of us prefer free software..." foxnews.com/tech/best-tax-software-to-use-in-2019

This one is a little like the Emmys. "Best site for DIY tax prep" is TurboTax. "Best online tax site if you need a little help" is H&R Block. "Best site for earning bonus points" is TaxAct. "Best tax prep site to protect your identity" is TaxSlayer. "Best tax site for experienced DIY-ers" is Jackson Hewitt.

And for those that are wondering, I do pay taxes. As little as possible!


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  • (Score: 4, Informative) by darkfeline on Tuesday March 12 2019, @04:16AM (8 children)

    by darkfeline (1030) on Tuesday March 12 2019, @04:16AM (#813066) Homepage

    The only reason US taxes are so complicated is that TurboTax bribes the government to not reform taxes, because their entire business depends on taxes being too complicated for the average person to understand.

    FreeTaxUSA is recommended on Reddit. It's better than TurboTax in some places and worse in others. They only charge 13 USD for filing state taxes and 7 USD for audit protection (no secret extra fees), they have a spanking good privacy policy, and they even support real two factor authentication.

    And at the end of the day, even if it were objectively worse, as long as it's good enough I'll take it, because FUCK TURBOTAX IN THE ANUS WITH A TOILET CLEANING BRUSH.

    --
    Join the SDF Public Access UNIX System today!
    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 12 2019, @05:04AM (3 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 12 2019, @05:04AM (#813078)

      The only reason US taxes are so complicated is that TurboTax bribes the government to not reform taxes, because their entire business depends on taxes being too complicated for the average person to understand.

      That, and "fuck you, that's why". It's not like you have a choice whether to jump through whatever hoops the IRS wants you to.

      • (Score: 4, Interesting) by darkfeline on Tuesday March 12 2019, @08:50AM (2 children)

        by darkfeline (1030) on Tuesday March 12 2019, @08:50AM (#813134) Homepage

        There is a a choice, since the US is a kind of democracy. Well, if you ignore the legalized bribery called lobbying, anyway.

        It's a secret to everybody that every time there's a bill to improve tax filing, some companies pay a lot of money and the bill goes away. Just search "tax lobbying" and you'll see dozens of articles coming out of the woodwork around this time of the year, every year.

        https://www.propublica.org/article/filing-taxes-could-be-free-simple-hr-block-intuit-lobbying-against-it [propublica.org]

        There is not a single person who is against simplifying tax filing, including all Congress members. Except, of course, the tax preparation software companies.

        --
        Join the SDF Public Access UNIX System today!
        • (Score: 2) by bzipitidoo on Tuesday March 12 2019, @05:20PM (1 child)

          by bzipitidoo (4388) on Tuesday March 12 2019, @05:20PM (#813367) Journal

          I realized this a long time ago. Over a decade ago, tax programs were bombarding users with all kinds of propaganda. Very irritating how thick they laid it on. "Taxes are haaard!! But look how eaaasy our Tax Software makes it! Did you know it's a felony for getting your taxes wrong? But if you use our software, we assume all liability for any mistakes. Be afraid, be very very afraid!" It's so simple. Be a real shame if you tried to do your taxes yourself, made a little mistake, and the IRS seized all your money and you ended up in jail.

          I think many are aware that tax prep companies are total parasites who work against the public interest, but most people have bigger problems to worry about.

          • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 13 2019, @01:03AM

            by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 13 2019, @01:03AM (#813537)

            You should read their terms and waivers. None of the software makers assume legal liability for their software making mistakes. The dead giveaway is the fact that they don't sign your returns, which is the act that would make them assume such liability. Instead, they have "guarantees," which are purely contingent on the information you provide. The only thing they could get hit on under those agreements is if the software though 2+2=5, and even in those situations, that would probably be an error somewhere else in the stack, so even then they aren't responsible to reimburse you.

    • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Tuesday March 12 2019, @08:48AM (1 child)

      by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday March 12 2019, @08:48AM (#813132) Journal

      and they even support real two factor authentication

      If it's real, it means it's more irrational than otherwise. I wouldn't even thing to start a-counting 'em, 'cause you can't count on irrationals.

      Just sayin'

      --
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
    • (Score: 2) by bzipitidoo on Wednesday March 13 2019, @02:52AM (1 child)

      by bzipitidoo (4388) on Wednesday March 13 2019, @02:52AM (#813568) Journal

      Yeah, Intuit, the owners of Turbo Tax, are scum. Lobbying is not the only thing they've done. In 2003, they used DRM that messed with the data at the start of the hard drive. There was a huge outcry at the time, and Intuit had to make changes.

      • (Score: 2) by krishnoid on Wednesday March 13 2019, @04:29AM

        by krishnoid (1156) on Wednesday March 13 2019, @04:29AM (#813585)

        They never tried to bring that back, though. I bet people would leave for good if they even hinted at it, now that there are multiple competing options.

  • (Score: 2) by KilroySmith on Tuesday March 12 2019, @04:56AM (8 children)

    by KilroySmith (2113) on Tuesday March 12 2019, @04:56AM (#813072)

    So which one has a privacy policy that says my name, address, phone number, social security number, bank account numbers and balances, brokerage account numbers and balances, my W-2 and other information, don't immediately show up in their permanent database that they sell access to?

    I thought not.

    • (Score: 5, Insightful) by bob_super on Tuesday March 12 2019, @05:02AM (6 children)

      by bob_super (1357) on Tuesday March 12 2019, @05:02AM (#813076)

      USPS.
      The only database that gets the data is the IRS, where it is (and/or will be) anyway.

      Unless you have a really complex situation, invest an hour or two and save your privacy.

      • (Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 12 2019, @05:13AM (5 children)

        by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 12 2019, @05:13AM (#813080)

        I don't have that complex a tax return, but it does take between 4 and 6 hours to do. I still do it manually, because fuck Turbotax and fuck the IRS, they can deal with my paper forms. Fucking bastards have all the figures anyway, it's just senseless busywork to trip yourself and others up in.

        • (Score: 2) by Whoever on Tuesday March 12 2019, @05:41AM (4 children)

          by Whoever (4524) on Tuesday March 12 2019, @05:41AM (#813092) Journal

          I don't have that complex a tax return, but it does take between 4 and 6 hours to do. I still do it manually,

          Yeah, that's nice, for you.

          Some of us have investments. Some of us have depreciation schedules, rental income and costs. Some of us have to report foreign assets.

          Try doing that manually.

          • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 12 2019, @06:03AM

            by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 12 2019, @06:03AM (#813102)

            I do. Your point?

          • (Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Tuesday March 12 2019, @06:09AM

            by fustakrakich (6150) on Tuesday March 12 2019, @06:09AM (#813105) Journal

            Gee, I bet some of you can easily afford an accountant (or marry one) to manage all that stuff.

            --
            La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
          • (Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 12 2019, @12:09PM

            by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 12 2019, @12:09PM (#813196)

            As a small business owner that does my own taxes, it indeed takes... 4 to 6 hours a night for a week or so. Using helpful software. I break it up over the course of a few weeks since I usually have everything I need, or can proceed pretty far while waiting for some straggler documentation to arrive from a business partner or something, but... the last time I did a 1040-EZ was the last tax year before I had moved out from my parents.

            (I still have the workbooks from some of the paper forms; the IRS guides over the years include photography that pretty much reflects an era 10 years prior to the tax guide's distribution...)

          • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 12 2019, @01:57PM

            by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 12 2019, @01:57PM (#813248)

            I have rental property and medical expenses but use jgnash/gnucash to keep track of them during the year. That makes it much easier to get all the information together to either do your taxes manually, use tax software or a tax service.

    • (Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 12 2019, @03:05PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 12 2019, @03:05PM (#813293)

      If you had read FreeTaxUSA or Tax Slayer's Privacy Policy you'd know that you're spouting a bunch of nonsense.

      FreeTaxUSA
      "We do not sell your personally identifiable information to third parties."

      TaxSlayer
      "We do not sell or rent your information (including your social security number)."

      I didn't bother reading TuboTax's privacy policy since they're more expensive.

  • (Score: 2, Insightful) by fustakrakich on Tuesday March 12 2019, @05:40AM (24 children)

    by fustakrakich (6150) on Tuesday March 12 2019, @05:40AM (#813091) Journal

    We should make them do our taxes, and send the filled in form for us to sign.

    --
    La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
    • (Score: 3, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 12 2019, @05:51AM (6 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 12 2019, @05:51AM (#813097)

      This is how it happens in developed countries, like Finland. Except we don't even have to sign the forms, just report if we disagree with what they present us with.

      • (Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Tuesday March 12 2019, @06:06AM (4 children)

        by fustakrakich (6150) on Tuesday March 12 2019, @06:06AM (#813103) Journal

        Perfect. Amazing what you can get just by demanding it.

        --
        La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
        • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Tuesday March 12 2019, @08:51AM (3 children)

          by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday March 12 2019, @08:51AM (#813135) Journal

          How come you demanded for a modern tax system in Finland?

          --
          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
          • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 12 2019, @11:27AM (1 child)

            by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 12 2019, @11:27AM (#813179)

            This is a very interesting question but unfortunately I don't know the answer. All I know is this system has been in use since 2006. Generally government works fairly smoothly and corruption is low.[*]

            * E.g. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corruption_Perception_Index [wikipedia.org]

            • (Score: 2) by Gaaark on Tuesday March 12 2019, @10:00PM

              by Gaaark (41) on Tuesday March 12 2019, @10:00PM (#813490) Journal

              Hmmm,
              Canada is in the 90-100 range, although I'm thinking that it will drop just due to Trudeau.

              --
              --- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
          • (Score: 5, Interesting) by FatPhil on Tuesday March 12 2019, @12:05PM

            by FatPhil (863) <pc-soylentNO@SPAMasdf.fi> on Tuesday March 12 2019, @12:05PM (#813195) Homepage
            Mostly because Finland's a relatively new independent country (101 now, I think), and one that is highly focused on pragmatism. Not having hundreds of insane ancient laws to repeal meant that it could simply follow the steepest slope downhill to simplicity, without any boulders blocking the way.

            Estonia (where I now live, I used to live in Finland), invented itself from scratch 28 years ago, so not only started with a clean slate, but also had the concept of technology being an important part of how people do all kinds of business, including governmental obligations, right from the outset.

            I "signed" my tax return last week. It took me 5 minutes. 4 minutes 50 seconds of that was scrolling up and down thinking "there must be something I should be doing with this form", 5 seconds was logging in, 5 seconds was clicking "submit". Next year, the process will take me 10 seconds. Got paid 1199e for the effort too, as apparently I was due a rebate - the beers are on me!

            My g/f's a US citizen - I've seen the tomes she has to fill in every year (which do change slightly every year too, just to make sure there are gotchas). Advanced country? Sheesh.
            --
            Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
      • (Score: 2) by hendrikboom on Tuesday March 12 2019, @02:08PM

        by hendrikboom (1125) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday March 12 2019, @02:08PM (#813253) Homepage Journal

        Worked like that in the Netherlands too, when I lived there in the 70's.

    • (Score: 5, Informative) by darkfeline on Tuesday March 12 2019, @08:43AM (11 children)

      by darkfeline (1030) on Tuesday March 12 2019, @08:43AM (#813131) Homepage

      That was the plan, until TurboTax (Intuit) and H&R Block paid some money to the right people.

      https://www.propublica.org/article/filing-taxes-could-be-free-simple-hr-block-intuit-lobbying-against-it [propublica.org]

      --
      Join the SDF Public Access UNIX System today!
      • (Score: 3, Informative) by FatPhil on Tuesday March 12 2019, @12:13PM

        by FatPhil (863) <pc-soylentNO@SPAMasdf.fi> on Tuesday March 12 2019, @12:13PM (#813200) Homepage
        Yup. A more fun presentation of your link and more is /Adam Ruins Everything/ addressing the issue: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fj4anUL-LvY
        --
        Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
      • (Score: 3, Insightful) by PartTimeZombie on Tuesday March 12 2019, @08:10PM (8 children)

        by PartTimeZombie (4827) on Tuesday March 12 2019, @08:10PM (#813450)

        Which raises the question of who the US government is for?

        You get to vote, but of course you don't really get a choice of who takes power.

        Interestingly the Soviet Union outlawed all political parties except the one with all the power. The US has never gone to that trouble, but they've managed the same trick. But two is better than one I suppose.

        • (Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Tuesday March 12 2019, @08:48PM (7 children)

          by fustakrakich (6150) on Tuesday March 12 2019, @08:48PM (#813460) Journal

          You get to vote, but of course you don't really get a choice of who takes power.

          Yeah they do, they just won't make even the feeblest effort. The non-voting block alone could change everything.

          --
          La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
          • (Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Tuesday March 12 2019, @09:24PM (6 children)

            by PartTimeZombie (4827) on Tuesday March 12 2019, @09:24PM (#813480)

            The non-voting block alone could change everything...

            I'm not convinced they could, not when the two state-sanctioned parties prevent alternatives from gaining any ground.

            • (Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Tuesday March 12 2019, @09:48PM (3 children)

              by fustakrakich (6150) on Tuesday March 12 2019, @09:48PM (#813486) Journal

              That doesn't make sense. They can't force you to vote for them. It's as trivial as turning our backs. We can continue to play along to get along, or we can try something different. The choice ours to make, not the party's.

              --
              La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
              • (Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Tuesday March 12 2019, @10:23PM (2 children)

                by PartTimeZombie (4827) on Tuesday March 12 2019, @10:23PM (#813498)

                Yeah, I suppose you could, but I can't see how that would work.

                Don't vote for them. Then what? Either the Democrat or Republican incumbent will win, but with fewer votes. They don't care about that.

                Vote for a third party? That's a good idea, but in the 243 years you've been doing this you've never managed more than two parties.

                • (Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Wednesday March 13 2019, @02:05AM (1 child)

                  by fustakrakich (6150) on Wednesday March 13 2019, @02:05AM (#813556) Journal

                  Vote for a third party? That's a good idea, but in the 243 years you've been doing this you've never managed more than two parties.

                  Only for the lack of votes. That's not the party's fault. I mean, it is, they couldn't sell their product, but it's still on the voters to decide. There is no one else to blame. The voters are responsible for their choices. The system cannot work without acknowledging the fundamentals.

                  --
                  La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
                  • (Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Wednesday March 13 2019, @02:55AM

                    by PartTimeZombie (4827) on Wednesday March 13 2019, @02:55AM (#813570)

                    That's true, and I am not sure what the answers are, but I live in a country with 1% of your population and 6 parties in parliament.

                    The UK even has first-past-the-post voting and they manage to have 8 parties.

                    Something else is going on in the US. Propaganda? Maybe, I'm not sure.

            • (Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday March 13 2019, @02:14PM (1 child)

              by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday March 13 2019, @02:14PM (#813720) Journal

              If, next election, every eligible voter who has not voted regularly for the past 12 years were to vote Green, then we would have a Green president. There wouldn't be room for the electoral college to screw it up. It wouldn't be 53% vs 47%. If all of them turned out and voted alike, their vote would win, something like 57% to 21% to 22%. That's how many people don't bother to vote. No after-the-vote tricks could overcome that kind of a margin.

              • (Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Wednesday March 13 2019, @07:07PM

                by PartTimeZombie (4827) on Wednesday March 13 2019, @07:07PM (#813875)

                I'm sure you're right, but it seems like a forlorn hope at this point.

                I would be very interested to see what would happen if voters did that though.

      • (Score: 4, Insightful) by fustakrakich on Tuesday March 12 2019, @08:58PM

        by fustakrakich (6150) on Tuesday March 12 2019, @08:58PM (#813466) Journal

        TurboTax (Intuit) and H&R Block are playing by the rules. It is the voters that reward political corruption, with 95% reelection rates.

        --
        La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
    • (Score: 2) by driverless on Tuesday March 12 2019, @10:48AM

      by driverless (4770) on Tuesday March 12 2019, @10:48AM (#813162)

      That's how it happens here. The only time you need to do is fill out a form is if you're due a refund, but they're in the process of automating that as well.

      The first time I got a 1040 + guide to filling it out I couldn't believe that this was how taxes in the US were done.

    • (Score: 5, Funny) by The Mighty Buzzard on Tuesday March 12 2019, @12:29PM (2 children)

      You're using the wrong definition of "service" for the context. In this instance it's "service" as in "I got my neighbor's bull over to service my cows last week,".

      --
      My rights don't end where your fear begins.
      • (Score: 2) by HiThere on Tuesday March 12 2019, @04:35PM

        by HiThere (866) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday March 12 2019, @04:35PM (#813344) Journal

        Not really. The cows want to be serviced.

        --
        Javascript is what you use to allow unknown third parties to run software you have no idea about on your computer.
      • (Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Tuesday March 12 2019, @09:05PM

        by fustakrakich (6150) on Tuesday March 12 2019, @09:05PM (#813469) Journal

        Yeah, "Internal" should have been the giveaway...

        The old name was much more correct, Bureau of Internal Revenue, smells like... Russia!

        --
        La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
    • (Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 12 2019, @05:46PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 12 2019, @05:46PM (#813382)

      At least during the Obama years, they wanted to, bills were proposed to do just that.

      H&R Block and TurboTax et al. lobbied to kill those bills.

  • (Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 12 2019, @05:45AM (2 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 12 2019, @05:45AM (#813094)

    Try Open Tax Solver [sourceforge.net] (GPL)

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 12 2019, @04:07PM (1 child)

      by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 12 2019, @04:07PM (#813330)

      Most of you are idiots.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 12 2019, @06:10PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 12 2019, @06:10PM (#813396)

        Speak for yourself.

  • (Score: 2, Disagree) by opinionated_science on Tuesday March 12 2019, @09:57AM (1 child)

    by opinionated_science (4031) on Tuesday March 12 2019, @09:57AM (#813152)

    Anyone else read fairtax.org [fairtax.org] ?

    Seems far more logical than the current system...

    • (Score: 3, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 12 2019, @04:56PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 12 2019, @04:56PM (#813354)

      It's extremely regressive [wikipedia.org] since rich people spend a lot less of their income on things with sales tax than poor people do. The "prebate" aspect helps it be not completely awful, but it still would set the tax rate on rich people to basically zero at the expense of making the middle class pay a lot more.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 12 2019, @11:20AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 12 2019, @11:20AM (#813176)

    I used olt.com which has less BS than the average bear. No craptchas.

  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by The Mighty Buzzard on Tuesday March 12 2019, @12:31PM

    And for those that are wondering, I do pay taxes. As little as possible!

    You and everyone else.

    --
    My rights don't end where your fear begins.
  • (Score: 5, Interesting) by tizan on Tuesday March 12 2019, @03:38PM

    by tizan (3245) on Tuesday March 12 2019, @03:38PM (#813316)

    Used TaxAct this year and at every form you fill you notice that it is communicating with facebook.com...
    Wether it is just metric measurements or giving all your information to facebook ..is what i wonder...
    There is no clear document that says what they do with facebook

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 12 2019, @07:06PM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 12 2019, @07:06PM (#813423)

    only cowards, traitors, whores and idiots pay the income tax! pitiful fucks...

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 12 2019, @08:04PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 12 2019, @08:04PM (#813448)

      A brave patriot who is unemployed?

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