fuck Turbo Tax

The Internal Revenue Service has quietly built its own prototype system to allow Americans to file tax returns digitally and free of charge, according to three current and former agency officials, essentially creating government software that could disrupt the tax-prep industry.

The system was developed by the IRS and U.S. Digital Service, the White House’s technology consulting agency. It will be available through a pilot program for a small group of taxpayers by January, when the 2024 filing season begins, said the people briefed on the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal agency conversations.

A free filing system offered directly by the federal government could upset a commercial tax prep market estimated by research firm IBIS World to be worth $14.4 billion this year.

In April, when the IRS reported a spending plan to Congress for that money, Commissioner Daniel Werfel said the agency would consider a “question-based electronic service to prepare and file tax returns directly with the IRS.”

The agency plan also would allow taxpayers to solicit help from customer service representatives through secure online portals. That threatens to encroach on another area where tax prep companies try to differentiate themselves from the IRS by employing legions of accountants and other experts to serve filers in premium product lines.

encroach pls