Electronic Tax Filers Get To Slack Off
from the online-procrastinators-rejoice dept
Congress is working on a fairly creative way to encourage taxpayers to file their tax returns electronically. In the past few years the IRS has tried publicizing e-filings much more and also promising quicker returns to those who file online. However, the vast majority of people still file the paper forms - and many of them do so as the clock ticks down to midnight on April 15th. Now, however, Congress is working on some legislation that would change the deadline for tax returns to April 30th - but only if you file electronically. Considering the number of procrastinators out there, this really might push people towards e-filing. Not everyone is happy with the idea, though, saying that April 15th is so ingrained in our heads, that changing the date will cause problems. I also wonder if people will get upset, saying that this is an additional burden on the poor who don't have computers and internet access at home. Some tax professionals have come up with alternate plan, saying that if you file online, you still need to file by April 15th - but can hold off sending in any payments until April 30th.Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
E-filing still costs $40
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Just say no
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Just say no
If the Government saves money with electronic filing, then they should not only pass this savings on to the taxpayer but give them some kind of POSITIVE incentive to do so.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
No Subject Given
What is it with government and backwards decisions? On one hand, it is forward looking to develop and roll out the technology; on the other hand, they aren't doing such a great job of encouraging use!
hmmm, I wonder which hand is which... and whether the gov't is a righty or lefty... doesn't that translate into whether you are creative or analytical? Then again, maybe they're just ambidextrous.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]