cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/25117460

Summary

Elon Musk claimed on X that he eliminated the IRS team responsible for the “Direct File” program, which allows Americans to file taxes online for free.

His statement came in response to a right-wing influencer criticizing the program as government overreach.

However, the Treasury Department confirms that the Direct File system remains active, offering free tax filing with customer support.

The program, available in English and Spanish, is optional, allowing taxpayers to choose between using it or filing their taxes manually.

      • Epp2@lemmynsfw.com
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        7 hours ago

        Except Nazi salutes. That arm thrust was chock full of intent and came straight from the heart!

        • floofloof@lemmy.caOP
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          7 hours ago

          It was the most awkward and embarrassing Nazi salute in the history of Nazi salutes. He didn’t even do that well.

          • Echo Dot@feddit.uk
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            6 hours ago

            The irony of course being that actual Nazis wouldn’t have liked him because he was South African. Him being white would probably be the minor mitigating factor but had they won their war he wouldn’t have had a nice time.

    • febra@lemmy.world
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      6 hours ago

      No, but he did do our taxes. Billionaires love government handouts after all.

    • AbsoluteChicagoDog@lemm.ee
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      10 hours ago

      How does he do this stuff? It’s not like he’s personally logging into the server and shutting down the website.

      • Echo Dot@feddit.uk
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        5 hours ago

        Presumably he just directs other people to do things.

        If I was in the IT department I would already be looking for a new job, and I would just tell him that I’d done it, it’s not like he’s going to check. Although in this case it seems more a situation where he’s just running his mouth.

  • Carl@lemm.ee
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    7 hours ago

    Used free file myself and it works great, if you haven’t filed your taxes yet this year better do it fast before the site gets taken down!

    • Echo Dot@feddit.uk
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      5 hours ago

      Why on Earth would the US government want it to be difficult for its citizens to file taxes. Surely they want the taxes.

      • Coskii@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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        3 hours ago

        For most middle and low income families ‘filing taxes’ is how they get the amount they overpaid returned. If they cannot then the government keeps the extra.

      • Rakonat@lemmy.world
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        8 hours ago

        He came here illegally under false pretenses meaning his citizenship can legally be nullified and expunged. To say nothing of the administration he supports trying to find ways to nullify citizenship of immigrants and natural born citizens who are and always have been here legally.

      • RizzRustbolt@lemmy.world
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        7 hours ago

        He’s not a citizen. He never filed a 601a when he started with Paypal.

        Everything he filed after not doing that should have been thrown out due to docket controls.

  • Cocodapuf@lemmy.world
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    13 hours ago

    Really increasing efficiency there. You know… efficiency aside, making it easier to file taxes is one of the very few things that can actually make more money!

    • floofloof@lemmy.caOP
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      7 hours ago

      Yes, but by “government efficiency” they mean shutting down everything the government does that might make poor people’s lives less hellish. These are men who deeply need to believe they’re better than everyone else, and have to continually prove that to themselves by means of cruelty and power games.

    • ChonkyOwlbear@lemmy.world
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      10 hours ago

      They don’t want the government to take in more money. They just want it to cost less (and consequently do less).

  • perestroika@lemm.ee
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    14 hours ago

    A right-wing MAGA influencer called the “direct file” tax program a "far left /…/

    Here in Estonia, the castle of “far left” in Europe (shh, don’t spoil the joke, comrades, we want them to think we’re dark red here ;) )…

    …for something like 15 years already, you file your taxes like this:

    • some day in February, your internet bank reminds you to send a report to the tax office
    • you click “send”
    • some day in February, you read in a newspaper that “you can file your taxes now”
    • you open up emta.ee, log in with your ID card, and see a pre-filled declaration
    • if you’re lucky (99% are), it’s been filled correctly and you click “confirm”, otherwise you click “edit”
    • you get to see if you have returns or need to pay extra
    • if you have returns, you can choose if you want the money (typically if it’s big, you do) or want to donate the small change to a non-profit

    It typically takes about 15 minutes.

    If it’s a bad year and the automatically filled declaration was incorrect, things will differ of course - then you wait until next winter for a court to resolve the dispute. If you can write a complaint in legalese, it costs about 20 €, but if you need a lawyer, you shell out real money. I’ve had a bad year once. Most people never have one.

    • kungen@feddit.nu
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      11 hours ago

      It’s basically the same thing in Sweden, but in the rare chance that the tax agency makes a mistake, it’s usually resolved before summertime without any court issues.

    • ℍ𝕂-𝟞𝟝@sopuli.xyz
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      11 hours ago

      In Hungary, the country of the far left Orbán quasi-dictatorship, the tax filing process is if you are an employee, in May you go to the website and click okay if you’re happy with it. If you forget, it’s just an implied acceptance of what you’ve seen, so most people never do anything and some don’t even know how to.

    • twinnie@feddit.uk
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      11 hours ago

      Does everyone have to file taxes? In the UK, unless you’re renting a property or otherwise have some income on the side like that, you don’t file taxes at all, it’s just all done automatically.

      • LordCrom@lemmy.world
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        10 hours ago

        Most everyone in the US files. Even if the gov withheld taxes from your payroll you still file. The gov knows how much you made, now you have to arrive at the same number or you can get fined if you claim more and they catch you in an audit.

        What’s funny is, on the tax form there’s a field asking if you got money from illegal activity like selling drugs…they expect you to declare it and pay the percentage… The ultimate gov will look the other way as long as they get their cut.

    • ur_dad@lemmy.world
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      13 hours ago

      American here, I didn’t work this year (stay at home parent) and we only need to file my wife’s taxes. If it goes smoothly it’ll take an hour, minimum, and we’re usually unsure if we filed it all out correctly…

  • TimewornTraveler@lemm.ee
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    10 hours ago

    i always just look up this year’s 1040 and just fill it out myself. easy finances though…

    been meaning to get an accountant this year. we’ll still do paper filing if e-filing is “deleted” lol

    • SGG@lemmy.world
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      11 hours ago

      He’s invested in suffering and making a profit. So yes.

  • sumguyonline@lemmy.world
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    10 hours ago

    I hate the american tax system. Not more than wiccans, but still a whole lot. Especially since I just read of a bunch of comments saying how great their tax filing is… Musky needs to be arrested, he’s obviously destroying services that make our lives as citizens easier. That’s what the federal government should be, easy and comprehensive to citizens and cold and mean to people like El(t)on musk

    • 🐍🩶🐢@lemmy.world
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      10 hours ago

      Wiccans? Like, pagans? What do you have against them? Most I have met have been pretty chill. I get hating all religions, but weird little pagans are near the bottom for me as long as they are not hurting anyone.

      As for the rest, fuck Elon and indeed, our tax system is never in our favor. Just rich assholes and businesses that never seem to have to pay anything.

      • Captain_CapsLock@lemmy.world
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        7 hours ago

        Maybe they’re trying to say that Wiccans have a special hatred for the American tax system? I thought the same thing you did and had to go reread and make sure i wasn’t misunderstanding.