[ale] Rant[ish]: government and states requiring proprietary software

[Lightner, Jeff]

I've been annoyed for years that the Feds don't have an online web form for all but the basic taxes.  Worse yet they seem to have struck a deal where poor people can do their taxes for free with the commercial tax software vendors but if you can't do a form 1040 EZ you pretty much don't qualify.

When I lived in NC their state form was online and was a breeze for me.





-----Original Message-----
From: ale-bounces at ale.org [mailto:ale-bounces at ale.org] On Behalf Of mike at trausch.us
Sent: Friday, September 14, 2012 12:59 PM
To: ale at ale.org
Subject: Re: [ale] Rant[ish]: government and states requiring proprietary software

On 09/14/2012 12:56 PM, Jay Lozier wrote:
> What is even worse is the money that could be saved by using FOSS
> instead proprietary.
>
> Also, as far as the forms, why not use web form and send the
> information directly to the database? I know clueless uncivil
> misservants stuck in the 1880's; they just got a new office tool - a
> typewriter

I know, right?

Why can't I file my 1040 at irs.gov using a Web form?

Why can't I file my GA 500 on the GA DOR the same way?

Why the HELL isn't the Web being natively leveraged for these things?

No, I'm not at all angry, not at all.

        --- Mike

--
A man who reasons deliberately, manages it better after studying Logic than he could before, if he is sincere about it and has common sense.
                                   --- Carveth Read, “Logic”





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