Articles published around the country repeat Intuit’s assertion — sometimes almost word for word — that the upcoming IRS pilot program would hurt Black Americans. A researcher whose work is cited by Intuit says the company is misstating her findings.
  • shalafi@lemmy.world
    81·
    1 year ago

    There’s probably a grain of truth to “hurts Black people”.

    Seeking to capitalize on recent research that found racial disparities in IRS audits

    Racism -> blacks have less money -> wildly underfunded IRS mostly audits poor people who can’t hire lawyers and fight back. That’s the most profitable way for the IRS to gather money. Sickening, but here we are.

    Also, racism regarding names is a thing. My first name and surname are total white bread, my middle name is almost exclusively “black”. I’m betting black names get pulled out of the pile more often. I can tell stories. OTOH, I have no idea how audit randomization is handled, if at all.

    So what does this all have to do with free filing being a bane to POC? LOL, jack and shit. If anything, giving people of modest or no means a way to file through the government only levels the playing field. How could it possibly hurt?!

    Kinda off topic, but this article gave me a major part of the solution to lobbying. We can’t make it illegal, that’s unconstitutional, plain and simple.

    First Amendment rights:

    and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances

    OK. If a corporation is a person, and it literally says so in the first section of the US Code (1 U.S. Code § 1 - Words denoting number, gender, and so forth_…

    the words “person” and “whoever” include corporations, companies, associations, firms, partnerships, societies, and joint stock companies, as well as individuals;

    Hold up…

    In Washington, D.C., the company has deployed 63 lobbyists this year, according to OpenSecrets, to stalk the halls of government.

    Then how the hell does Inuit get 62 additional voices to counter mine? 1 corporation = 1 voice. Yes, corporations deserve a voice in our government. They comprise people like you and I, and those people should be heard. But 63?!