cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/25117460

Summary

Elon Musk claimed on X that he eliminated the IRS team responsible for the “Direct File” program, which allows Americans to file taxes online for free.

His statement came in response to a right-wing influencer criticizing the program as government overreach.

However, the Treasury Department confirms that the Direct File system remains active, offering free tax filing with customer support.

The program, available in English and Spanish, is optional, allowing taxpayers to choose between using it or filing their taxes manually.

253 points

I think I’ll skip paying taxes this year, my religion states I cannot support terrorist groups.

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51 points
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Good luck with that.

But, in all seriousness: Everyone should do their taxes ASAP. If you are due a refund? File very quickly. If you owe money? Wait until the last possible minute. Because there are decent odds that we don’t have an IRS after a month or two of this…


That said, DO make it a point to file state taxes regardless since those actually go toward things that, even in red states, are focused on the populace.

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29 points

To late he just got rid of what takes to do our fucking taxes. I REFUSE TO USE TURBOTAX OR HR BLOCK OR ANY OTHER PREDATORY TAX FILING COMPANY.

Guess no refund for us and no child tax credit.

Btw what the fuck is Congress doing? This motherfucker should not be able to do any of this, yet no one stopping him.

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22 points

You do you. Personally, I want to get my money while I still can. But if you would rather throw away you and your children’s money then … 'kay.

Because there are basically 3 outcomes for the IRS at this point

  1. musk et al completely destroy it and insist that income tax is no longer a thing and only sales tax exists. I forget if this is part of project 2025 but it is something republicans have been arguing for decades because it predominantly hurts lower income households
  2. Democrats do their fucking job and intervene and we file taxes normally
  3. musk et al completely compromise the IRS and make it a point to attack “the little guy” so they can insist they are hard on crime while actively ignoring all their cronies who refuse to ever pay taxes again.

And if you truly refuse to use any software? You can file by hand. I did back in college when I couldn’t afford even fricking turbotax.

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11 points
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The article goes on to mention he is either lying or doesn’t know what he is talking about as the system is very much still in place. It could be either, and likely it’s both, that he doesn’t know enough to be sure if he did or not, but would be ok if it turns out to be a lie anyway.

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9 points

Isn’t freetaxusa still good?

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8 points

yet no one stopping him.

Turns out America is weak as fuck. We’re only good at applying force when it comes to other nations.

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6 points

I REFUSE TO USE TURBOTAX OR HR BLOCK OR ANY OTHER PREDATORY TAX FILING COMPANY.

Try this site.

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6 points

Btw what the fuck is Congress doing?

Republicans? Sucking a lot Trump, Musk, and any other billionaire’s dick.

Democrats? Completely self-sabotaging any attempt to get any opposition going.

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6 points

I use cash app and it’s free, or at least it was last year.

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5 points

You can file by paper

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3 points

The government shuts down immediately of it stops drafting from our paychecks. You can be assured that whatever happens, that will continue.

If that stops then there are going to be other more pressing issues.

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2 points

Can’t it also later be argued that it’s uncertain and unclear what’s there or not, since that imbecile is running around yanking out wires of the government like a ketamine fueled chimp.

Casting doubt on the sanctity of the government’s records… I’d say that would go through courts for years.

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2 points

Plus I suspect the states will outlast the feds at this point. With maybe the sole exception of Utah, and that has more to do with the fact that the nuttier Mormons have a weird fucked up prophecy where theyll save America in its dying days or some shit.

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2 points

I’m still waiting on two forms that the companies say won’t be available till 2/28. Otherwise I’m ready to submit.

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10 points

Everybody with a 1099 should just refuse to pay taxes.

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2 points

You probably already pay taxes. Filing your taxes usually just helps dial in if you paid a bit too much or too little.

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2 points

I think our best bet is to ‘delete’ Musk.

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167 points

His statement came in response to a right-wing influencer criticizing the program as government overreach.

… HOW??? This movement simply has no real agenda or philosophy - they just want to burn everything down.

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101 points

This movement simply has no real agenda or philosophy - they just want to burn everything down.

That is the agenda

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16 points

Sorry - I don’t mean “agenda” in the weird meaningless pejorative way that partisans use it but rather in the more traditional “plan of things to be done” manner. Like - these people have no problem statement with “here is how we will fix it”.

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19 points

Private companies and consultants make millions on tax advice. Wrongly filed tax returns result in fines. Need I continue?

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14 points

Yes, causing chaos is part of their “plan of things to be done.”

If you want to know their agenda, read Project 2025.

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5 points

I took what you said as the traditional meaning, there is no “fixing” unless destruction is fixing. Their “agenda”, imo, is to tear down as much as possible, crash the economy, then buy up everything that they can; housing, businesses, etc

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19 points

The government providing a free service that private companies charge for is considered overreach by the wealthy elite who stand to gain from holding a monopoly over access to a necessary thing.

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14 points

Disclaimer: I don’t agree with this but providing a possible rationale. They believe the government is overreaching because “easy” tax filing has been privatized and it would harm those businesses. Never mind those businesses harm people

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2 points

That seems a reasonable guess…

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10 points

They literally ran on dismantling our government and the majority of voting Americans voted for them.

For the first time in my life I’m seriously considering getting citizenship elsewhere. Nothing good can happen for the future of this nation with a populace that stupid.

It’s over.

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5 points

The slimmest majority of the minority of Americans who voted

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8 points

Anyone of voting age that didn’t vote is just as bad as anyone that voted for this.

There’s your supermajority of stupid Americans.

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7 points

Have you ever seen someone on social media who CLEARLY did not read the post they are responding to but saw a mention of AI or the word “implication” and posted the same tired old meme for points? And then notice that actually works because the vast majority of the internet doesn’t want to discuss anything and just want to giggle at their comfort memes?

It is like that. Except they also want to enslave all lgbtq+ folk, brown people, and women. All while lining their pockets.

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4 points

That’s the agenda. Burn everything down.

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133 points
Removed by mod
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141 points

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10 points

Bluesky will delete X, but give him time.

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14 points

Then they’ll become X eventually.

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104 points
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How the hell does this lower costs?

right-wing influencer criticizing the program as government overreach.

So the right is against self-service now? wtf

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80 points
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This version of the right wing is against any service provided to the public for free which their own companies could profit from by charging for it. And they also, as a matter of principle, believe that the poor should be punished, and punished again.

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25 points

So the right is against self-service now? wtf

You may want to look into Grover Norquist and his organisation Americans for Tax Reform. It is one of the most influential political lobbying groups in the United States, and it has the support of essentially the entire republican party. They essentially consider tax to be evil on principle and ask every politician to sign a pledge opposing any tax hike.

ATR is strongly against automatic filing, as they want to keep taxes difficult and complicated to stoke anti-tax sentiment. That is to say, they fear that if filing tax is easier, citizens would be less likely to fight taxes in the way that the ATR wants (mostly they like a low flat tax, because it’s simple and good for rich people).

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11 points

So the right is against self-service now? wtf

Why are looking for coherence in their ideology? They’ve never made any indication that they are ideological consistent. Its projection on our part to do so, and the constant exacerbation at the obvious and consistent conclusion is tiresome.

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3 points

I find it useful to look for ways to make their arguments coherent. What’s the underlying motivation where their actions make sense?

In this case, it makes a lot of sense if they’re in favor of billionaires profiting off something currently being provided by the government. In other cases (and somewhat on this one, too), “cruelty is the point” is what gets you there.

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10 points

They’re against the slaves not using TurboTax.

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6 points

It’s just a poorly constructed lie to funnel more money to their corporate masters.

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4 points

So the right is against self-service now?

No, fascists are. It just so happens that the right are fascists.

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2 points

yes because it takes money away from companies like intuit and taxact and hrblock… ,sarcasm.

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86 points

The sooner average Americans realize that these people are America’s enemies, the sooner we can do something about it.

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15 points

So you are saying we better not wait standing up?

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-12 points

The IRS?

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