Why filing your taxes won’t get easier anytime soon

Despite bipartisan support, legislation to make filing your taxes take just 5 minutes is doomed to fail. (Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images)




ProPublica said Intuit, the company that owns e-filing service TurboTax, spent more than $11 million lobbying Congress in the past five years. That’s more than tech giants Apple or Amazon spent during the same five-year period.

In 2011, when a tax-form simplification bill was introduced by Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Intuit’s lobbying disclosure forms noted it “opposes IRS government tax preparation.” (Though the company does support and participate in an IRS program to file lower income Americans’ taxes for free.)

In a 2010 post on its website, Intuit argued Americans should be able to do their taxes on their own so they can ensure they’re getting the best returns. “They see a conflict of interest when the government prepares, collects and enforces tax policy,” the post said.

For the time being, it seems that argument has won. In all Congress’ talk of tax reform, there are no bills this year suggesting making the forms easier.