As I have posted here before, I prepare income taxes for free under the TaxAide program, which is jointly sponsored by AARP and the IRS. Today I found this in my news feed:
This is a direct slap at poor people, who don’t earn much, don’t have complex returns, and to whom the $150 - $250 charged by paid preparers is both unnecessary and real money. While I’m not associated with Free File, I’m wondering just how long it will take Elon to figure out that TaxAide, and our sister program VITA, are also supported by IRS funds. The large paid preparers (e.g., Turbo Tax) have lobbied for years to restrict or eliminate free filing programs. It looks like they have found a willing champion.
I sent the following message to my Sens & Rep for all the good it will do:
The IRS Free File program exists to help low income taxpayers with simple returns prepare and file their income taxes. Eliminating this program is an assault on people who already have very little – why does the US government want them to pay a fee to file their tax returns?
This is extreme overreach by a non-elected, non-confirmed private individual. The US congress must stop these attacks on the working class.
I’ve always appreciated the TaxAide VITA program as my dad has greeted, prepared and coordinated for them as well. The FreeFile program is great too. Since my tax prep has only ever taken seventeen minutes to do, I can’t justify paying for it with just W-2s, 1099s and receipts from recycled bottles and cans. No way Elon.
Africa has enough problems to deal with and it wasn’t Africa that that empowered a malignant narcissist. Not this particular one, anyway. He’s an American problem now.
I wasn’t familiar with the VITA program, but looking at this website, I can see why Musk, Trump, and the higher-up MAGAs would be against it:
The VITA program has operated for over 50 years. VITA sites offer free tax help to people who need assistance in preparing their own tax returns, including:
I was a VITA volunteer in the military in the early 80s. It was astonishing how many military guys had no idea that they were supposed to file, or who were incapable of filling out a basic 1040A.