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Open Source Federal Income Tax Software
niiler writes "There is finally a usable US federal income tax program for Linux users who don't wish to file online. TaxGeek is a Mozilla-based US income tax program that includes Form 1040, Schedules A, B, C, C-EZ, D, E, K-1 (1065), SE (Short and Long), W2, Forms 8880, 8853, 8863, 8812, 5695, 4952,3903, 2106, 2106ez, 2441 with access to most other files as PDFs. It is intended to be extensible so that developers can easily add other forms that are needed without affecting the existing file formats and stored data. TaxGeek will also create PDFs of all the supported forms so that you can print them and send them in to the IRS. (PDF creation support requires the installation of Perl PDF::Reuse.) At this point, e-filing is not supported."
ABSOLUTELY NO GUARANTEES ARE OFFERED. If you have a ton of money riding on finding all the right loopholes and getting everything 100% perfect, buy a tax program or use an accountant.
So far this has been a great year for open source and taxes in general it seems.
This company also released there entire Payroll, Time and Attendance suite as open source. So employers like myself can pay their employees and easily take care of all their payroll related taxes such as W2/W3's, 940/941's, 1099's and state taxes for free.
While I don't want the refund check dependent on a beta, I am going to run both Tax Cut and TaxGeek06d to see how they compare....
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Government support is unlikely, according to this excerpt from the FAQ:
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6. Why can't I e-file with this program?
Because of the lack of cooperation of the IRS and the API. When I wrote to the IRS regarding this, I received the following reply:
Thank you for your inquiry.
The government believes that private industry, given its established expertise and experience in the field of electronic tax preparation, has a proven track record in providing the best technology and services available. In addition, the government believes a partnership with private industry will: provide taxpayers with higher quality services by using the existing expertise of the private sector; maximize consumer choice; promote competition within the marketplace; and meet objectives in the least costly manner to taxpayers.
We hope the above information will prove helpful to you.
Sincerely,
The IRS Website Support Team
I suspect that there will either need to be an outcry, or we will need to present this project as a corporation of sorts for cooperation from the IRS. For more info, see the previous FAQ entry.
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I've often wondered that too. I asked a Russian co-worker about it though, and he said his experience with foreign systems that only use a payroll tax, is that they are much more likely to be corrupt. Since there's a lower compliance rate, they have to have a higher tax. I don't really buy into that though. I'd much rather just have the payroll tax and be done with it, as long as I can't be held personally liable for failing to pay it. If it's just a payroll tax, then who is liable though? It can't be the person who runs payroll. Those jobs don't pay very much, and people won't run the risk of personal bankruptcy for failing to carry a decimal. If the corporation or company is liable, then it's much harder to pin blame on a person. The corporation or company just goes bankrupt, so I think my Russian co-worker had a good point.
Historicly, taxes in the US were collected from individuals. I've been told that payroll deductions, called "witholding" here, were an emergency measure adopted because they needed funds during WWII. After the war, witholding continued. Some have actually argued that we get rid of witholding due to its history as a WWII emergency measure. It also feeds into some conspiracy theories regarding the "continual state of war" in the US. Anyway, the US is, in some sense, "pay as you earn", it's just that you have to file to reconcile the difference between what you've paid and what you actually owe.
What you owe can be less due to deductions (e.g., charity, marital status, etc.). Over the years, the US has used the tax code for social engineering. Those deductions are popular, entrenched, and backed by powerful lobbies and interests who have a lot to gain from the tax code as it stands. If I had to give a one-word answer to your question it would be:
Inertia.
For all intensive purposes, "whom" is no longer a word. That begs the question, "who cares"?
Well, lot's of folks here are making a fuss, saying these folks offer
no Warranty, and don't check the accuracy.
Well, guess what NEITHER DOES CLOSED SOURCE.
Your $49.99 QuickTax/EasyTax, whatever doesn't come with a warranty either, besides one on the MEDIA.
If it screws up, guess what, it's YOU who owes the IRS money. The developers are held harmless, because they are simple developers. They are not tax law experts.
Same thing happens when you take your taxes to H&R block. The best 'guarentee' they offer is your money back.
Now if you went to an accountant, or a CA, CCA, etc, They can be held partially accountable.
If you ask me, we need real engineers designing complex software like tax programs, not simple programmers or developers. Stand behind the work, and put your professional licence behind it.
Other wise, might as well use quicktax, and cross your fingers.
Some of you might find it interesting to compare the US situation with other countries (comparisons are always nice for parameters).../ RecnetJava.htm
Brazil's equivalent of the IRS (Receita Federal) offers its version for federal income tax software for download for Windows, Linux, Macintosh and jar files for any other OS Yes, they use Java. It makes sense.
http://www.receita.gov.br/PessoaFisica/ReceitaNet
Main difference between the BSD license and the GPL license: one is from California and the other is from Massachusetts
Sign me up for whatever free postage system you have. Especially if it comes with delivery confirmation, etc. that the conscientious will purchase.70% of taxpayers qualify for free file, which allows them to e-file after using free (as in beer) online tax software. Yes, this percentage should be higher. Yes, anyone should be permitted to create tax preparation software, including open source software, which could e-file. But, it is hardly extortion.I actually agree with the IRS--tax software should be in the private sector, not the public sector (government monopolies suck). But there's no reason not to open this up for ALL entrants, rather than granting an oligopoly.
I had taxes done at HRBlock last year. I normally do them myself, but between multiple employers, multiple home sales, multiple streams of income (consulting, wife's business), and having lived in 3 states, I wanted someone with more experience to take care of things. They offered a 'peace of mind' program for an extra $39 to cover mistakes up to $5000. I took it, and actually had chance to use it. I missed this, but so did they - no schedule D was filed at all. Just an oversight, but it was an extra $400+ in taxes I owed. HRBlock redid all the amended paperwork in a week, I paid the taxes, and they cut me a check to reimburse me a week later. If/when I get an interest/penalties letter, HRBlock will cut a check for that as well. While I don't normally use a service like that, they *do* offer some degree of protection. True it's at an extra cost, but when you're talking about potentially thousands in taxes/penalties, being able to get any sort of insurance is probably worth it.
creation science book
Do you have any idea what a refund is?
It means your employer withheld too much of your pay. So your employer and the government got to keep it, gaining interest on it, until you file your taxes and get the check for ONLY the amount they owe you - they keep the interest.
It's best to have no refund, because it means that you got the money when you earned it, not several months later.
I shouldn't do this. But please give the guy some cash. It is extremely useful, and works with OpenOffice. My taxes were fairly complex and they came out perfectly. Maybe you can help out and make an even better version.
an ill wind that blows no good