I find it exceptionally galling that the so-called Inflation Reduction Act sends $80 billion to the IRS, of which $15 million is earmarked “to fund a task force that would study the cost and feasibility of creating a free direct e-file program.” Spoiler alert fellas - it’s feasible, and it should have been done 20 years ago.
The market cap is $130B, three quarters of which could probably be recovered by reselling the half of the business that deals with foreign/international accounting and large business accounting.
Just keep the stuff for individuals and companies with under 250 employees in the USA. Then make all that software available for free.
Over time, integrate that software deeper into IRS processes - for example, the software could autofill fields with stuff the IRS already knows. The web based stuff could go onto a .gov website and become the official way to file accounts and taxes.
I applaud the UK for this - the US and its various federal agencies/states/cities/towns should consider the same, not only as a cost saving measure, but making the experience predictable across many different sites.