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.
I think I’ll skip paying taxes this year, my religion states I cannot support terrorist groups.
Not religious, but my ethics, and laws against aiding and abetting should also apply.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conscientious_objection_to_military_taxation
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_Freedom_Peace_Tax_Fund_Act
but also: Office of Chief Counsel Internal Revenue Service Memorandum https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-lafa/20133303f.pdf
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.
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.
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
- 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
- Democrats do their fucking job and intervene and we file taxes normally
- 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.
Democrats cannot fix this. Perhaps you lived under a rock, but they lost power in all branches of government. Further, whether the actions by Musk violate the constitution is up for review by the courts, not congress. Remember who is in charge there? People warned that electing Trump would end Democracy, but I guess they were just scaremongering.
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.
Isn’t freetaxusa still good?
It charges for state tax returns
Ah, okay. Just for electronic filing though, right? You can still use it, print the results, and mail it in, can’t you?
Has for 2 years so far.
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.
I use cash app and it’s free, or at least it was last year.
Cash App Taxes is still free 👍
I REFUSE TO USE TURBOTAX OR HR BLOCK OR ANY OTHER PREDATORY TAX FILING COMPANY.
Where been doing my taxes. Thanks for the link.
You can file by paper
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.
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.
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.
I’m still waiting on two forms that the companies say won’t be available till 2/28. Otherwise I’m ready to submit.
I think our best bet is to ‘delete’ Musk.
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.
This movement simply has no real agenda or philosophy - they just want to burn everything down.
That is the agenda
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”.
Private companies and consultants make millions on tax advice. Wrongly filed tax returns result in fines. Need I continue?
Yes, causing chaos is part of their “plan of things to be done.”
If you want to know their agenda, read Project 2025.
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
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.
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
That seems a reasonable guess…
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.
The slimmest majority of the minority of Americans who voted
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.
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.
That’s the agenda. Burn everything down.
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Bluesky will delete X, but give him time.
Then they’ll become X eventually.
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
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.
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).
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.
They’re against the slaves not using TurboTax.
It’s just a poorly constructed lie to funnel more money to their corporate masters.
So the right is against self-service now?
No, fascists are. It just so happens that the right are fascists.
yes because it takes money away from companies like intuit and taxact and hrblock… ,sarcasm.
The sooner average Americans realize that these people are America’s enemies, the sooner we can do something about it.
So you are saying we better not wait standing up?
The IRS?
You’d think that if DOGE was really DOGE that this is the exact kind of thing they’d double down on and make really good, saving everyone shit load of money.
You’d think that’s the case, if you thought saving money or helping average Americans was actually their goal. The American government is being carved up as fast as they can get away with it. Gotta free up cash to give billionaires more tax cuts!
Don’t forget… Eliminating any government oversight that might affect their business interests…
And eliminating any funding they can for media that will speak against them.
Edit: these people are directly tanking the platform Mr. Rogers had. The magic school bus, sesame Street, Arthur, Clifford, Barney, Reading Rainbow… They come from PBS, which is under attack by Elon Musk and Donald Trump
I get advertisements trying to give free pamphlets to kids about what Trump has done for our country and how he is saving it. He’s looking for the fucking Hitler Youth. Period
Oh, you see, you fucked up like… three words into your comment
You mean instead of “deleting” it right?
Ya, don’t delete, make it even better and save even more money for everyone
Ok. For a second I wanted to down vote because I thought you meant they should double down on what they did.
Thanks for asking for clarification first!
In Denmark We’ve had easy tax filing on the Internet for more than a decade, and before that it was also extremely easy, as we got a form with all the usual data filled out, and we only had to send in if we had changes. I haven’t done my taxes for 30 years!!!
Except when we bought a house we’ve had a few tax deductions on energy saving changes, which took 2 minutes to enter.Every piece of standard information is collected automatically, like wages, bank info, stock profits, real estate taxes, and the rest if you have anything additional is super easy to fill out. The old paper tax return form is AFAIK completely abandoned since more than a decade ago.
USA under Trump with Elron Musk making it even worse is what we would call working like monkeys in a cage. If they really end this program, it makes it more difficult to do your taxes, AND cost tax payers MORE!!
Thanks, we know the rest of the modern world has it better in literally every way literally everywhere else. Can someone just like invade and save us please?
Unfortunately USA is extremely good at violence, probably the best in the world, so I guess you’ll just have to fight it out amongst yourselves. But I wish all the best to all the reasonable Americans, that still believe in decency and democracy.
This is most accurate and depressing assessment of the United States I have ever read.
Being a child of the 60’s in Europe, the first President I remember is Jimmy Carter. It is really disappointing that we have seen no other president of USA come even close to caliber of Jimmy Carter.
Nobody since can even “Nå ham til sokkerholderne.” Sorry but I can’t find a fitting translation, the literal translation is “reach his sock holders” the closest AFAIK is “head and shoulders above”, but it doesn’t really illustrate the huge distance between Jimmy Carter and every US president since.
Back then we dreamed of peace, tolerance and progress of society. Since then it’s been all about money, and at the most scraping a few benefits for the worst off.
So when you say it’s depressing, you are goddam right it’s depressing. USA threw away their future, mostly to just benefit big oil and the 1%. But more than that, almost all of the developed world is following in the footsteps of USA!? So although it’s not nearly as bad, we are going the wrong way too. 😥
Once they have control of all the people and property used to commit that violence… I mean, it’s not going to stay within US borders, is it?
No probably not, I hope MAGA will be thrown out when the stupid people rooting for them realize what it really is.
But as things are going, it doesn’t look good.
Sorry, you’ve spent 75 years arming your own government to the point of making this impossible. In the name of “security”. Do you feel secure yet?
Imagine calling it a “Defense” budget and going to invade the Middle East, on the near opposite side of the world, twice in 3 years.
I love it when Nazi African fascists take control of the American monetary system.
How does he do this stuff? It’s not like he’s personally logging into the server and shutting down the website.
Presumably he just directs other people to do things.
If I was in the IT department I would already be looking for a new job, and I would just tell him that I’d done it, it’s not like he’s going to check. Although in this case it seems more a situation where he’s just running his mouth.
Lots of DR drills gonna be strained to their limits I’m betting
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Nothing will meaningfully improve until the rich fear for their lives
How? If things get too hot here, they’ll just move to another country. Oh… I see now. But then that’s just passing our problems onto someone else like those South Africa bastards did.
There shouldn’t be any place on earth where it is safe to be absurdly rich.
I’d pay more taxes to fund a team of rich hunters.
They already do, thats why they’re doing this to government, which they fear. They need to fear public reprisal
Whats your plan to make that happen?
Waow never heard that one b4
About what I expected from you.
I actually disagree with this. I believe its their fear that is driving them. Fear of losing money, wealth, and power. Fear of death and being ‘controlled’ by the status quo.
Nothing will meaningful improve until the rich put down their fears and begin thinking rationally and with compassion for humanity.
I’m sure they’ll come around if we let them know.
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Man who pays someone else to do his taxes makes it harder for people who do their own taxes because he doesn’t seem to understand how annoying and frustratingly difficult it is to file in USA
He understands. His cronies make big bank from paid services.
Stop thinking that these people are stupid and don’t understand what they’re doing. They know exactly what they are doing.
He thinks people with less money than him are inferior people, morally, intellectually and socially. If there’s anything he’s unaware of it’s what a pathetic little man he is, and how billions of dollars can’t fix that. But deep down I suspect he knows it.
Reminder Elon cannot code
I’m not sure he can do anything well.
That’s often the case with
CEOsdespots. They’re more showmen/cheerleaders that people want to undress with their stonks. Otherwise, just talentless hacks that get paid too much money.
According to Forbes, the only thing he actually deleted was the 18F’s (group that created Direct File) Xitter account. Lol
Really Musky of him to confuse the 2
I mean his social media obsession was what really showed behind the curtain of his fraying sanity the past few years, so I’m not especially surprised that he can’t seem to distinguish between a Twitter account and real life.
If he and Trump have one thing in common it’s thin skin and being terminally online
things that happen on the internet are real. This is real life.
Arrest his ass and lock him away for life!
We can buy rope at Home Depot.
I already got rope
Nothing makes the government more efficient than cleaning house on the group responsible for bringing money into the government and which has an ROI of 5.
A right-wing MAGA influencer called the “direct file” tax program a "far left /…/
Here in Estonia, the castle of “far left” in Europe (shh, don’t spoil the joke, comrades, we want them to think we’re dark red here ;) )…
…for something like 15 years already, you file your taxes like this:
- some day in February, your internet bank reminds you to send a report to the tax office
- you click “send”
- some day in February, you read in a newspaper that “you can file your taxes now”
- you open up emta.ee, log in with your ID card, and see a pre-filled declaration
- if you’re lucky (99% are), it’s been filled correctly and you click “confirm”, otherwise you click “edit”
- you get to see if you have returns or need to pay extra
- if you have returns, you can choose if you want the money (typically if it’s big, you do) or want to donate the small change to a non-profit
It typically takes about 15 minutes.
If it’s a bad year and the automatically filled declaration was incorrect, things will differ of course - then you wait until next winter for a court to resolve the dispute. If you can write a complaint in legalese, it costs about 20 €, but if you need a lawyer, you shell out real money. I’ve had a bad year once. Most people never have one.
American here, I didn’t work this year (stay at home parent) and we only need to file my wife’s taxes. If it goes smoothly it’ll take an hour, minimum, and we’re usually unsure if we filed it all out correctly…
And even if they accept your return and pay you then you still can’t be sure
Doing it this way would cost the IRS less than the way our current system runs.
In Hungary, the country of the far left Orbán quasi-dictatorship, the tax filing process is if you are an employee, in May you go to the website and click okay if you’re happy with it. If you forget, it’s just an implied acceptance of what you’ve seen, so most people never do anything and some don’t even know how to.
If Orban is far left I’d hate to see what you call right. Literal Satan establishing hell on earth?
It was sarcasm, a reaction to Musk calling somewhat sensible tax filing far left.
That said Orbán did price caps on staples and petrol and 13th month pensions, so it’s not like these idiots have a consistent ideology.
BTW Hungary has a party that’s nominally right of Orbán, it’s made of antivaxers, literal neonazies and other assorted loons.
Nah, they’re being facetious.
Does everyone have to file taxes? In the UK, unless you’re renting a property or otherwise have some income on the side like that, you don’t file taxes at all, it’s just all done automatically.
Most everyone in the US files. Even if the gov withheld taxes from your payroll you still file. The gov knows how much you made, now you have to arrive at the same number or you can get fined if you claim more and they catch you in an audit.
What’s funny is, on the tax form there’s a field asking if you got money from illegal activity like selling drugs…they expect you to declare it and pay the percentage… The ultimate gov will look the other way as long as they get their cut.
