Jan 11
21
On the subject of state tax forms these days, you don’t need to go to the local library or post office to get them anymore.
Just go online and get it straight from the government!
You don’t even have to spend money on postage mailing anything in, either; no printing, no wasting precious ink or toner – just file online.
It’s wonderful what modern technology can do!
But one thing seems odd at first: while it is possible to get state tax forms from government websites, you won’t manage to file them there.
That’s right; you must go elsewhere to actually report your earnings!
Seems strange, right?
Especially when you’ve just been informed in the last paragraph that it’s possible to file online.
It’s all quite logical enough, actually, strange as it may first seem to be – and, and in addition, it involves money.
You heard right, money.
(Hey, this is an article on state tax forms, after all!)
The main reason you can find those forms through the government but not actually file them directly with the government – not online, that is (you can still print them out and mail them in if you wish) – is merely as a result of money.
The government was all set to supply free comprehensive services, both preparation and filing, but the makers of tax prep software lobbied against the idea because it would quickly put them out of business.
After all, why should anyone pay money for tax preparation software – every single year, on account of possible changes to the tax laws – if you could basically log onto the government’s site and do the same for free?
And so the companies lobbied the government heavily.
And eventually a compromise was reached: industry heavyweights such as Intuit and the like would offer free tax preparation along with electronic filing online for many who make under twenty-five thousand dollars a year – for federal taxes only.
The government could drop its bid to make tax reporting free for anyone.
Score another one for the corporations.
