Anybody else having problems with getting scammed by the

[rzemanfl]

so-called "free filing" at IRS that directs people to private preparers like Tubo Tax? My son made about $2,000.00 and got charged $20.00 by Turbo Tax to have his supposedly "free return" done.

[shanti]

1. maybe he picked the wrong one

my son made a little more than that and his was totally free. i know because i did his taxes.

[Pharaoh]

2. its free if you

print the forms and mail it in but they charge you to efile i think.........

still, pretty cheap and easy, i've done it for years........

[Emit]

3. Was that to get it filed and to get an electronic return automatically?

IOW, maybe they don't charge if you're willing to wait for your check in the mail.

[tammywammy]

4. It's free to print it out and mail it

It cost if you "e-file" it and have the refund electronically deposited into your account.

[rzemanfl]

6. That is probably what he did wrong. Thanks. n/t

[darkmaestro019]

5. We usually use www.taxfreedom.com

As far as I remember it really WAS free if you made less than (ten grand? I forget, but your son would've qualified) AND you didn't have state taxes. Though it tries all manner of cute little tricks to get you to upgrade.

I hate the human tendency to insert all kinds of middlemen into ANY DAMN THING ever, just so they can make money without actually producing anything whatsoever of value. Then I read that Douglas Adams bit and it makes me feel better again, sort of.....

EDIT: To file for state it wanted money.

And I usually get as far as signing in from the year before--MAYBE--and then I'm driven so batshit by the silly that I throw a tantrum and my lovely lovely boy says "Shh. Let Daddy do," and then I smoke and bitch about taxes and the IRS and middlemen while he does it for me in about fifteen minutes : ) It's not hard, but I am terrible at anything to do with numbers and/or bureaucracy.

[etherealtruth]

7. Here's yet another possibility ...

I think the federal e-filing is free if you make under a certain amount ($50,000) ... I ran into problems because I could not find an option that allowed me to NOT do my state taxes and for that they charged ~ $20.

It was weird ... after completing the federal part there was no way to print it out or to file it ...nthey gave me the option of logging out or doing my state taxes.

*I used Turbo tax as well

[rzemanfl]

9. Government assisted scamming of the American people, ain't

BushWorld a lovely place?

[Synnical]

8. My local paper wrote an editorial about this scam

Kudos to them.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/editorial/sfl-editaftaxreturnsapr13,0,7659099.story?coll=sfla-news-editorial

Note to Mods: this is an editorial, not a news item

ISSUE: Feds want more tax returns filed electronically.

Filing taxes ahead of the April deadline would be a lot easier and cheaper for people if the Internal Revenue Service could accept individual returns electronically. Congress, which wants four-fifths of the nation's tax returns to arrive electronically by next year, ought to prod the IRS to make arrangements.

The 80 percent target makes sense. Just as with other transactions, from paying bills to payroll deposits, electronic channels would make filing returns faster and more efficient.

Americans have already shown a strong preference for electronic tax returns. Private companies offer software packages that accomplish the task, and U.S. taxpayers have been snapping them up like prized toys in the holiday season.

Using tax software can get pricey, however. Once you complete your return, there may be another fee to file it. And perhaps another charge to handle a refund.

So, taxpayers end up paying three charges for one task, settling their bill with Uncle Sam. No wonder so many Americans still opt to file the old-fashioned way, with envelopes and stamps.

Some in Congress and the Bush administration resist efforts to modernize the IRS so it can accept individuals' electronic filings. They don't want the federal government competing with the private sector.

Nonsense. Tax returns are the domain of the federal government, and it's the government's responsibility to streamline its operations so they are as efficient as possible. Do we want government to run like a business or not?

Besides, Americans will keep buying tax preparation software because those packages make doing taxes easier. It's the triple-dip profits from filing fees and refund handling that could be in jeopardy.

But since when is it the government's role to help others make a killing from taxpayers?

BOTTOM LINE: Taxpayers ought to file their electronic returns straight to the IRS.

[rzemanfl]

10. I will forward the link to my son at FSU. Thanks, and good on the

Sun-Sentinel.

[Synnical]

11. Oh, hey - I didn't realize you were in FLA

I used to live in Lakeland - horrible little town. There's still a section of that town called "Dixieland". My mom still lives there - I hate visiting.

Love, love, love Fort Lauderdale (Broward County - the bluest county in the state) - except for the high real estate costs.

:hi:

[rzemanfl]

12. Real estate was cheap in Pinellas when we moved here from

WI ten years ago-not any more. When we live in Wisconsin we used to vacation at Lauderdale-by-the-Sea until we discovered Clearwater Beach, which is now being condo-ized into something unrecognizable.