

To the IRS: Provide computerized formulas for all tax forms - amluto
https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/provide-computerized-formulas-all-tax-forms-free/mLq2NXBh

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frossie
At that point, why not just ask them to provide the equivalent of Turbo-Tax on
the web and put the code on github? I mean if they are going to compete with
software providers, why mess around with PDFs?

The advantage of tax software is not that it does the caculations for you, it
is that it leads you through identifying what facts are important to take into
consideration - eg. "Did you sell a house this year", "did you move for your
job", "did you buy an electric vehicle" and so on.

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robzyb
> At that point, why not just ask them to provide the equivalent of Turbo-Tax
> on the web and put the code on github?

Because we are interested in only the algorithm, not any implementation.

Software blurs the line between algorithm and implementation.

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frossie
What algorithms are we talking about? The ones that are printed on the tax
form? "Subtract box 3 from box 2 and enter it in box 14"? They aren't secret.

The problem people have with tax forms is not the calculations, it is
understanding what has to go in the box in the first place. And, for a non-
negligible part of the population, enough English literacy to read the form in
the first place. Which is why volunteer tax preparation is a thing:

[http://www.aarp.org/money/taxes/info-2006/volunteer_aarp_tax...](http://www.aarp.org/money/taxes/info-2006/volunteer_aarp_tax_aide.html)

