gofer articles

On the subject of state tax forms nowadays, you don’t need to go to the local library or post office to get them anymore.
Just go online and get it directly 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 really wonderful what modern technology can do!

But one thing seems odd at first glance: while it’s possible to get state tax forms from government websites, you won’t be able to file them there.
That’s right; you need to 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, not surprisingly, it requires money.
That’s right, money.
(Hey, this is an article on state tax forms, after all!)
The reason why 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 deliver free comprehensive services, both preparation and filing, but the makers of tax prep software lobbied against the idea as it would quickly put them out of business.
All things considered, why should anyone pay money for tax preparation software – every single year, on account of possible changes to the tax laws – if you could merely log onto the government’s site and do the same for free?

And so the companies lobbied the government heavily.
And ultimately a compromise was reached: industry heavyweights such as Intuit and the like would offer free tax preparation as well as electronic filing online for individuals who make lower than twenty-five thousand dollars a year – for federal taxes only.
The government would drop its bid to make tax reporting free for all.

Score another one for the corporations.