> To file returns for free through private companies
Anyone else thinks that sounds hopelessly optimistic?
Anyone else thinks that sounds hopelessly optimistic?
A few other people have also written such software. One guy still maintains it and surprisingly wrote a whole IRS / 1040 library in C. Mine is more oriented towards business and employer related taxes, though, than personal / investment sort of tax forms (although it will do the latter).
Biggest weakness is it will only support 1 or 2 states because I don't have the resources to make an accurate system for all 50.
I've also been fine with the Jackson Hewitt online tax thing, which I believe was $25 total for both state and federal.
Taxes having third party companies being just about the only way to file electronically would be like if you could only vote at selected partner businesses like Walmart or Target and you had to pay to vote for state level candidates unless you went through a process that took twice as long and involved leaving the store and going somewhere else to do it all over again.