A key operative from DOGE initiated plans to potentially kill Direct File, the free tax filing tool developed by the IRS, after offering assurances it would be spared from cuts.
  • Asafum@feddit.nl
    471·
    16 hours ago

    If they actually do this there needs to be a nation wide denial of tax payments. People should just straight up not pay in large enough numbers that they can’t prosecute everyone.

    I know it will never happen and we’ll just be mandatory piggy banks for Intuit, but it’s nice to dream…

    God I hate this country.

    • Booboofinger@lemmy.world
      8·
      10 hours ago

      The threat of the IRS coming to take what little you have is just too great. It’s too bad they are not as aggressive with billionaires and multi-million dollar companies.

    • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.worldEnglish
      24·
      15 hours ago

      there needs to be a nation wide denial of tax payments

      Nearly 10% Of S&P 500 Companies Paid No Tax in 2023 — Including Tesla

      Way ahead of you!

      People should just straight up not pay in large enough numbers that they can’t prosecute everyone.

      For the vast majority of salary earners, taxes are collected at the point of wage payment. You fill out a W-2 when you are hired and your employer sets aside a percentage of your income based on your anticipated tax debt. This often results in over payment, at which point taxpayers file returns to recoup the balance.

      For instances in which a taxpayer owes on their return and fails to pay the balance, the IRS can simply order the employer to zero-out exemptions on the W-2 and recoup the excess due over time plus a penalty. Alternatively, they can file with the courts to garnish wages in excess of the W-2, put liens on property, and seize unprotected assets.

      This is incredibly easy for the professional legal and prosecutorial team at the IRS. It is comparatively much harder to resist by individuals - even in large numbers - without comparable legal firepower. Your employer is almost certainly not going to assist in tax avoidance, as that exposes the company to legal liability.

      • onslaught545@lemmy.zip
        111·
        15 hours ago

        You can absolutely fill out your W2 to have no withholdings taken out of your check. I know people who do this and put the money in a high yield savings or investment account.

        • cowfodder@lemmy.world
          151·
          15 hours ago

          You can, and when you don’t pay your taxes the IRS will garnish your paycheck for the amount owed plus interest and penalties. Only the truly rich get away with not paying.

        • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.worldEnglish
          36·
          14 hours ago

          You can absolutely fill out your W2 to have no withholdings taken out of your check.

          And your HR department can reject it, then tell you to fill it out correctly.

          I know people who do this

          You’re either gullible enough to believe some Sovreign Citizen tier liars or a liar yourself.

          • onslaught545@lemmy.zip
            9·
            12 hours ago

            I’m not saying they don’t pay their taxes. They just don’t have them taken out of their checks each month. They put the money somewhere it can grow, then pay their taxes with it at tax time.

          • bdjukemgood@lemmy.world
            81·
            14 hours ago

            There are absolutely people who do this. They will pay a penalty for not withholding when they file but they probably still come out ahead even with just a HYSA.

  • greenfire@lemmings.worldEnglish
    10·
    16 hours ago

    When the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) arrived at the Internal Revenue Service earlier this year, leaders of the group reassured workers that the agency’s free tax filing tool, Direct File, would be spared from cuts. But only a few days after meeting with tax software lobbyists, the beloved tool was placed on the chopping block, multiple sources familiar tell WIRED. The plans to potentially kill Direct File, the free tax filing tool developed by the IRS which services 25 states, was initiated by Sam Corcos, CEO of an Andreessen Horowitz–backed health startup that has ties to SpaceX. Corcos’ suggestion to cut the popular service was presented to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in the beginning of March, multiple sources familiar say. The weekend before Corcos suggested ending Direct File, he spoke of it positively to IRS engineers. By Friday, he had changed his tune. As sources WIRED spoke to understand it, Direct File would remain online through the 2025 tax filing season but would likely be dead by next year.

  • ThePowerOfGeek@lemmy.worldEnglish
    4·
    14 hours ago

    Didn’t sometime leak the source code to the government tax filing software, with the intent of making it open source? It’s not an ideal solution, but if that is a viable solution (and if it’s maintained properly) then that’s a pretty big nose-thumbing at these curious government officials.

    • thevoidzero@lemmy.world
      6·
      13 hours ago

      Problem I think is the API from the IRS being closed. You could still maybe use it generate pdfs and send it, but the tool allowed you to just click send. And also, no more updates from the official source could mean they get to change a few rules and make it obsolete. We could keep it up with a bunch of volunteers, but unlike other open source projects, this has a serious legal aspect that people might not be willing to take a risk.

  • ileftreddit@piefed.socialEnglish
    71·
    16 hours ago

    Wait, DOGE still exists?! I thought it was understood to be a completely illegal power grab by the executive

    • Asafum@feddit.nl
      191·
      16 hours ago

      I thought it was understood to be a completely illegal power grab by the executive

      Welcome to the Trump administration!

    • ryper@lemmy.caEnglish
      31·
      14 hours ago

      Didn’t you hear that the Supreme Court has declared all power grabs by the Trump administration legal?