[purple_ferret]

But you don't understand. If the government helps you file your taxes, they'll use the service to collect your personal data, so the communists could use it against you at some point in the future.

(this is the right wing argument, so to speak)

[chabes]

The IRS already files its own version of your taxes. They use their version to check against what you the individual files.

[timewizard]

The IRS has some pretty strict rules about who can access those files and how they can be shared with other agencies. In many ways these rules are unique to the IRS. Precisely because of the issues noted here.

[dehrmann]

Hijacking this somewhat, but shouldn't the engine be open-source so both Sean Hannity and Richard Stallman can see the code and protect their data from prying government eyes? Or maybe it's already open-source? There should be something like opentaxsolver that has a government stamp of approval.

[philipwhiuk]

Open source? Giving stuff away? Sounds socialist mate.

[phillipcarter]

Is it? I think the more common right-wing argument is that you shouldn't have taxes / the IRS is just evil / the whole government apparatus needs to be burned to the ground.

(I do not agree with it, it's just what I interpret the arguments to be)

[purple_ferret]

Here's the tweet that prompted Elon's 'deleted' tweet:

>18F, the far left government wide computer office that was recently taken over by allies of @elonmusk, is also the same agency that built Elizabeth Warren's "Direct File" tax program.

>Direct File puts the government in charge of preparing peoples tax returns for them.

https://nitter.poast.org/alx/status/1886415751528972515?

Clearly, they think there is something malicious in having the federal government manage this service despite the fact that the result gets submitted....to the federal government anyway

[3eb7988a1663]

The Norquist argument I have heard is that taxes should be painful. Anything that makes it too easy for the government to get money should be avoided.

So, you know, a policy of making life better for average people.