A legal deal between the IRS and tax filing companies such as H&R Block explains why e-filing often involves shelling out part of that refund. Lower income folks (AGI less than $52,000) can get free federal e-file, but the corresponding state's e-file always costs extra. The IRS has explicitly agreed to not provide a free e-filing option for all taxpayers (despite the cost savings to the IRS) because of this deal.
Two things are disturbing. One, that a government agency can not only decide against providing a service, but can enter into a binding agreement not to (as opposed to Congress trying to prevent competition). Two, that the lawyer for the tax preparation companies threatened to paint the IRS as "Big Brother" if it ever decided to provide the e-file service.
Last time I checked, your social security number is not a mystery to the IRS.
Showing posts with label big brother. Show all posts
Showing posts with label big brother. Show all posts
Monday, March 26, 2007
Monday, January 01, 2007
Pricking privacy to "protect children."
If the Justice Department can already track your internet activity via a court order, then why do they want ISPs to collect and store web surfing habits for every American? Ostensibly this will help us catch child pornographers. After all, the more vile the crime, the greater the sacrifice of liberty required to catch the criminal...
Friday, December 01, 2006
Please give Big Brother the smackdown
Seriously, how many times do we have to needlessly trample civil liberties and privacy before we stop letting government profile us?
The Homeland Security Department recently revealed its Automated Targeting System (ATS) that tracks things like what meal you asked for on the plane, when and where you flew, how you paid for your tickets, and seating preference. How useful is this information in catching terrorists?
If you haven't spoken bureaucratese lately, that means ZERO. But it does make sure that my dad gets padded down every time he flies and that despite sending in all sorts of information to the government to try to get off the "watch list," he still has to go through extra security rigmarole every time.
This revelation is in face of research at MIT suggesting (as it has for some time) that random searches will beat computerized profiling any day, especially when we're dealing with potential suicide bombers.
But instead of searching potential terrorists, we're recording their seat and meal preferences.
I feel safer.
The Homeland Security Department recently revealed its Automated Targeting System (ATS) that tracks things like what meal you asked for on the plane, when and where you flew, how you paid for your tickets, and seating preference. How useful is this information in catching terrorists?
Government officials could not say whether ATS has apprehended any terrorists.
If you haven't spoken bureaucratese lately, that means ZERO. But it does make sure that my dad gets padded down every time he flies and that despite sending in all sorts of information to the government to try to get off the "watch list," he still has to go through extra security rigmarole every time.
This revelation is in face of research at MIT suggesting (as it has for some time) that random searches will beat computerized profiling any day, especially when we're dealing with potential suicide bombers.
But instead of searching potential terrorists, we're recording their seat and meal preferences.
I feel safer.
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