Being able to file taxes is ideally a public good.
For private enterprise, the benefits are to encourage more complex tax laws, and to add MORE challenges that they can intermediate.
The incentives for governments are to get it done easily, cheaply and at scale, without differentiation between users.
Plus we know how this is done globally. We even know that tax filing is intentionally made as painful as possible to ensure American voters hate filing taxes even more.
I think you misunderstood my point, which was that abandoning direct file (which is good) because what the system really needs is reform, is allowing that desired reform (the "perfect") to be the enemy of that good solution.
These things are not mutually exclusive. I agree that simplifying the tax code would be a good thing. But I don't think it's any more likely in a world without Direct file than in a world with it.
They are all private businesses which have to make money somehow. Refusing to host a good free public system because it would be more perfect to simplify the system is literally perfect being the enemy of good.
I misunderstood GP and read it as "not needing more commercial competition", instead of "not needing publicly funded (government service) competition". I agree with you.
Being able to file taxes is ideally a public good.
For private enterprise, the benefits are to encourage more complex tax laws, and to add MORE challenges that they can intermediate.
The incentives for governments are to get it done easily, cheaply and at scale, without differentiation between users.
Plus we know how this is done globally. We even know that tax filing is intentionally made as painful as possible to ensure American voters hate filing taxes even more.
I think you misunderstood my point, which was that abandoning direct file (which is good) because what the system really needs is reform, is allowing that desired reform (the "perfect") to be the enemy of that good solution.
These things are not mutually exclusive. I agree that simplifying the tax code would be a good thing. But I don't think it's any more likely in a world without Direct file than in a world with it.
No it's not. We already have good alternatives to turbotax.
They are all private businesses which have to make money somehow. Refusing to host a good free public system because it would be more perfect to simplify the system is literally perfect being the enemy of good.
I misunderstood GP and read it as "not needing more commercial competition", instead of "not needing publicly funded (government service) competition". I agree with you.