IRS tests free e-filing system that could compete with tax prep giants

Re:IRS tests free e-filing system that could compete with ta... by jcranmer on Monday May 15, 2023 @03:37PM (#35953394)

I doubt very many people know how much taxes they actually paid in 2022, even after the pain of filling out taxes. Instead, the number they know and remember is the size of the refund check (or the tax check they have to send out) in April. And the size of that check has relatively little to do with your actual tax rate, instead being driven by the withholding tables instead.

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Re:IRS tests free e-filing system that could compete with ta... by koolba on Monday May 15, 2023 @04:04PM (#35953741)

That’s exactly my point. If people were cutting a check for the full about in one go, they’d have a better handle on the size of it. Likely a different opinion as well.

Having to at least see the numbers rather than blindly clicking “Yes” on a government run website is not quite there but it’s better than nothing.

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Re:IRS tests free e-filing system that could compete with ta... by eppsilon on Monday May 15, 2023 @05:00PM (#35954409)

It might be nice if the IRS provided a summary of what you paid + your effective tax rate in a prominent place on the first page of your tax return. Maybe they could include last year's info for comparison.

If we ever reach a point where the IRS just tells you what they think you owe, they could include the same summary to placate the Norquist types (who undoubtedly will then start complaining about something else).

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