this post was submitted on 04 Feb 2025
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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.

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[–] DarkFuture@lemmy.world 83 points 1 day ago (2 children)

The sooner average Americans realize that these people are America's enemies, the sooner we can do something about it.

[–] Jhex@lemmy.world 14 points 1 day ago

So you are saying we better not wait standing up?

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[–] TimewornTraveler@lemm.ee 5 points 15 hours ago* (last edited 15 hours ago)

i always just look up this year's 1040 and just fill it out myself. easy finances though...

been meaning to get an accountant this year. we'll still do paper filing if e-filing is "deleted" lol

[–] Carvex@lemmy.world 246 points 1 day ago (5 children)

I think I'll skip paying taxes this year, my religion states I cannot support terrorist groups.

[–] NuXCOM_90Percent@lemmy.zip 48 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (5 children)

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.

[–] Fredselfish@lemmy.world 24 points 1 day ago (13 children)

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.

[–] NuXCOM_90Percent@lemmy.zip 20 points 1 day ago (1 children)

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

  1. 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
  2. Democrats do their fucking job and intervene and we file taxes normally
  3. 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.

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[–] SocialMediaRefugee@lemmy.world 102 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (8 children)

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

[–] floofloof@lemmy.ca 78 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

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.

[–] sushibowl@feddit.nl 25 points 23 hours ago

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).

[–] TheTimeKnife@lemmy.world 6 points 18 hours ago

It's just a poorly constructed lie to funnel more money to their corporate masters.

[–] RangerJosey@lemmy.ml 10 points 22 hours ago

They're against the slaves not using TurboTax.

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[–] atzanteol@sh.itjust.works 163 points 1 day ago (8 children)

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.

[–] lost_faith@lemmy.ca 98 points 1 day ago (4 children)

This movement simply has no real agenda or philosophy - they just want to burn everything down.

That is the agenda

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[–] Bronzebeard@lemm.ee 19 points 1 day ago

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.

[–] Draces@lemmy.world 14 points 1 day ago (1 children)

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

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[–] sumguyonline@lemmy.world 5 points 15 hours ago (2 children)

I hate the american tax system. Not more than wiccans, but still a whole lot. Especially since I just read of a bunch of comments saying how great their tax filing is... Musky needs to be arrested, he's obviously destroying services that make our lives as citizens easier. That's what the federal government should be, easy and comprehensive to citizens and cold and mean to people like El(t)on musk

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[–] CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world 4 points 15 hours ago

I really don't know why, but every time I see Space Karen trying to be such a sooper kewl edgelord, I think of this clip...that and the very end of the movie, too....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAjTjfipDto

[–] LadyAutumn@lemmy.blahaj.zone 74 points 1 day ago

Cruelty is the point. The goal is to make the lives of impoverished people harder.

[–] Buffalox@lemmy.world 66 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (12 children)

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!!

[–] SacredHeartAttack@lemmy.world 59 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (3 children)

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?

[–] Buffalox@lemmy.world 44 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (4 children)

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.

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[–] hulfpa@lemmy.ml 54 points 1 day ago (3 children)

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

[–] Maeve@kbin.earth 41 points 1 day ago

He understands. His cronies make big bank from paid services.

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[–] Prandom_returns@lemm.ee 12 points 22 hours ago

"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"

"However, the Treasury Department confirms that the Direct File system remains active, offering free tax filing with customer support"

Big story. Is every tweet going to be a shocking story? Isn't that beneficial to the media who done nothing / helped install theese morons?

[–] unmagical@lemmy.ml 48 points 1 day ago

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.

[–] bungalowtill@lemmy.dbzer0.com 24 points 1 day ago

Oh man.

In Germany this would mean dismantling the only functioning digital government service. Haha.

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