Elon Musk intends to eliminate IRS Free File

bobsmom101
Tue, 04 Feb 2025 17:10:25 +0000
Politics & Elections

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:

NewsBreak

Musk says he 'deleted' IRS easy filing team that let Americans file taxes for...

In a post on X, unelected government official Elon Musk revealed that he has cut the staff of the Internal Revenue Service that oversaw the system that all

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.

13 posts - 12 participants