Comment by TrackerFF

The only ideological rationale I've seen for this is that if the government offers a (free) tool like this, it would mean that the government also has the incentive to make the user pay more taxes - and thus, the tool must be worse for the tax payer. The whole argument rests on the gov. wanting to maximize tax income.

Whereas commercial vendors like TurboTax etc. would be incentivized to minimize taxes for the user, and thus provide a better service for the tax payer...even though it will cost something.

That is, of course, if you view the world through a right-wing or libertarian lens, where it is assumed that tax is theft, and that the government is stealing from you. This is what the conservative shills are parroting.