For one, I don't blame a company for lobbying for their interests. Lobbying is protected by the first amendment. Congress has sole authority to author and vote on legislation at the pleasure of the electorate. The fact that TT (and H&R Block) have impressed upon reps that they will participate in Free File, it mitigates their need to make a government-sponsored program. Which isn't just barricaded by simply force of will, but rather that the IRS would actually have to do it which means likely means a giant appropriation of funds and the risk of them screwing it up.
The issue isn't the lobbying per se, but rather that it's not hard to look at the situation and conclude that Congress is favoring the interests of TurboTax over the interests of their constituents.
It's difficult for me to believe that my representatives actually believe it's in my best interest to pay TurboTax $100 every year, compared to having the IRS automatically file my taxes.
On the other hard, it's easy to believe that my representatives have been cheaply bought with political donations.
Maybe I'm being too generous but the electorate has all the power over elected officials. If a candidate makes a big deal over free file and voters don't care, then the lobbyists are effectively absolved. You'd have to show me that Congress actually had this on their agenda and removed it at the behest of lobbyists to say it's really corruption.
Unless they're actively spreading disinformation or corrupting the vote.
I do blame companies (and people who work at those companies) for spending their time trying to figure out how to waste as much of their fellow countryman's time and money as possible every year. Just like I would blame people for trying to get away with legally polluting waterways or any other public resource.
>The fact that TT (and H&R Block) have impressed upon reps that they will participate in Free File, it mitigates their need to make a government-sponsored program.
It's a half assed solution so they can say they did something and give them political cover.
