Claiming high user satisfaction, IRS will decide on renewing free tax site

International comparisons & prefilled/automatic taxes

• Many commenters from Canada, Norway, Sweden, Australia, UK describe systems where:
  • Tax authorities prefill most data from employers/banks and provide online portals.
  • Most people just review, add a few deductions, and click submit (often under 10–15 minutes).
  • In some countries many workers never file at all; the government just settles automatically.
• Several contrast this with the US, where taxpayers must re-enter information the IRS already receives.

US system, IRS Direct File, and corporate lobbying

• Widespread view that US tax filing is unnecessarily complex to benefit private tax-prep firms.
• Intuit/TurboTax and others are repeatedly cited as lobbying to block or weaken free government filing.
• Some praise the new IRS Direct File pilot and Free Fillable Forms, reporting accurate returns, error checking, and relief at avoiding paid software.
• Others like commercial tools (e.g., TurboTax) for perceived reliability and UX, though they acknowledge rising prices.

Complexity, literacy, and fairness

• Multiple comments highlight a mismatch between low general literacy/financial literacy and the expectation to self-file accurately.
• The tax code is described as huge, ever-changing, and full of special cases, cycles between states, and obscure instructions.
• Many argue the code is used for social engineering and targeted favors, especially benefiting wealthy individuals and corporations.
• Calls for radical simplification: mostly wage-based auto-calculated tax, minimal deductions/credits, and prefilled returns with a “confirm or correct” step.

Privacy and government data

• Some worry that prefilled returns imply excessive government knowledge of individuals’ finances and eroded privacy.
• Others counter that:
  • Government already needs income data to enforce any income tax.
  • For the majority (W‑2 wages, standard deduction), the IRS already has almost everything needed.
• Debates compare US norms with more transparent societies (e.g., public income data in Sweden), with sharp disagreement over whether that’s acceptable.

Politics, enforcement, and incentives

• Several note IRS underfunding and very high estimated ROI for enforcement spending, especially on wealthy taxpayers and large entities.
• Anti-tax politicians are described as opposing simplification because easier filing might reduce tax resentment.
• Commenters frame the status quo as:
  • A de facto jobs program for preparers and CPAs.
  • A form of corporate capture where government-created complexity sustains private profit.

Everyday burden & edge cases

• Numerous anecdotes describe:
  • Hours or days lost to understanding forms.
  • IRS rejections and correction letters that prove the agency already knows “the right” numbers.
  • Extreme complexity around household employees (nannies/babysitters), small business income, multi-state filing, and investments.
• Several argue that even if some edge cases must still file, the “easy majority” should get automatic or nearly-automatic returns.