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IRS successfully launches their own free Direct File - some of my fellow 'murcans are eligible
(sh.itjust.works)
For your simple[r] tax needs: https://directfile.irs.gov
I would argue that the IRS wasn't at fault here, though. Like the article said, people were steered away from the Free File Program, so people having to pay wasn't a fault of the Free File Program but rather a fault of Intuit's deceptive practices of marketing their alternative freemium versions of their software.
The IRS was very aware of it as it had been going on for years. There were numerous complaints and lawsuits that the IRS were made aware of as they happened.
Intuit spent millions annually lobbying anyone who would accept their money and were permitted to remain part of the free-file program for years with their famously deceptive software.
The IRS and lawmakers have all been complicit in allowing this to happen for an extended period of time.
Just curious, why are you defending Intuit or the IRS? It seems an odd position to take. I've never encountered someone with this position before.