Big Take cover image

Big Take

What If The IRS Did Your Taxes For You–For Free?

Apr 4, 2023
25:52

Tucked into President Biden’s massive Inflation Reduction Act is a pot of money–$15 million–for the Internal Revenue Service to study a long-talked-about idea: Building an online IRS platform that would enable taxpayers to file their taxes easily and for free. If it moves ahead, it could mean an end to frustratingly complex forms and fees to accountants and tax prep companies.

There are plenty of obstacles in the way. Some politicians and industry groups in Washington are already lining up against it. And it’s not clear Americans would trust the IRS to calculate their refund–or how much they owe.

Bloomberg reporters Laura Davison, Brody Ford, and Ben Steverman join this episode to talk about the promise—and potential pitfalls—of a public filing option for all.

Listen to The Big Take podcast every weekday and subscribe to our daily newsletter: https://bloom.bg/3F3EJAK 

Have questions or comments for Wes and the team? Reach us at bigtake@bloomberg.net.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Get the Snipd
podcast app

Unlock the knowledge in podcasts with the podcast player of the future.
App store bannerPlay store banner

AI-powered
podcast player

Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features

Discover
highlights

Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode

Save any
moment

Hear something you like? Tap your headphones to save it with AI-generated key takeaways

Share
& Export

Send highlights to Twitter, WhatsApp or export them to Notion, Readwise & more

AI-powered
podcast player

Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features

Discover
highlights

Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode