Dem
47
GOP
53
For Americans who pay taxes—so, not the billionaires—today's the day by which you have to settle up with Uncle Sam.
That means it's also the day for us to continue building on a leitmotif that runs through nearly every posting these days, namely "Everything Donald Trump touches turns to... well, something other than gold." We have already written about how this administration changes IRS commissioners more often than some people change socks, and how the slapdash DOGE cuts have made it much harder for people to get their tax breaks, because there aren't enough IRS agents to answer the phones, and to explain those tax breaks.
To this, let us add another story that hasn't gotten much attention. During the Joe Biden years, the IRS introduced the IRS Direct File Program, which allows people with simple returns to file them directly, instead of using a professional preparer, or some sort of software package. Several million people used it in 2025, and 94% of them reported their experience was positive. To have "94% approval" anywhere within a country mile of the phrase "Internal Revenue Service" is kind of a modern miracle.
As readers can undoubtedly guess, the Trump administration shut the program down, such that it is not available this year. The official explanation was that not many taxpayers were using it. This is nonsense; "millions" is not "not many" and, besides, 2025 was actually the first year it was widely available. If you're going to give a new initiative a real shot, you have to allow at least a few years, right?
So, what is the real reason the IRS Direct File Program was shuttered? There are three explanations that present themselves. The first is that the companies that make their money off of tax preparation, and are charging multiple hundreds of dollars for even the simplest returns, lobbied the White House mightily to kill the whole thing. The second is that if tax returns are difficult, some people won't bother, and won't get their refunds, and the government gets to keep that money. The third is that the program was a Biden-era initiative, and anything Biden-related must be slain.
Truth be told, we suspect it's all of these things. Meanwhile, this is your special tax-day reminder of how this administration rolls. (Z)