There’s a Tax Season Villain, and It’s Not the I.R.S. | NYT Opinion
Video Overview & Insights
It’s the most miserable time of the year: tax season.
Love working with the Times. I always learn a ton. Thanks for this great collab!
Americans are about to spend millions of hours and billions of dollars filing their federal income taxes, and they are pretty sure they know who is responsible for their pain: The misanthropes at the Internal Revenue Service.
But we’re here to convince you that the I.R.S. is not the problem.
And, they software cos can SALE OUR DATA after making campaign donations! Ronald Reagon demonized government..
Yes, it should be easy to file taxes. And yes, it should be free. That’s how it works in the rest of the developed world, and it could very easily work that way here, too. It is absurd that America’s tax system is so antiquated and complicated that most people must pay someone else to help them pay the government.
So what is standing in the way of progress?
The whole Swedish tax code is one hundred pages long.
Watch.
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I watched this on Hasan Minhaj's patriot act on 2020
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Thank you! I have been saying this for years! I want to pay my taxes it's just too complicated.
Whether it's reporting on conflicts abroad and political divisions at home, or covering the latest style trends and scientific developments, New York Times video journalists provide a revealing and unforgettable view of the world. It's all the news that's fit to watch.
Takes me five minutes every year what the …. are you talking about?
More User Perspectives
Tax for clearing making e-file❤❤❤❤❤❤🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
@zahedkhan7016Hi Johnny, Just had this problem yesterday on my 2024 tax return. As soon as I logged in, There was no other option than to accept their "Turbotax Live Premium" version for "better tax process" with "revolutionary" options like "live expert advices" and other bullshits. It is only when you go to the checkout screen you actually know that it's charging you $209 for services with additional fees you should never be paying. They made it so difficult to downgrade that i had to call customer service to show me how. Also, additionally, they dont tell you in the checkout screen that they'll charge you $40 for processing fee for taking out of your refund. All my life, I thought they took it out of the refund, but when you actually start playing around with it, you know that they charge you $40 for processing fee. This is a fked up system that needs to be shut down. Did taxes for me and my family members on April 15th, 2025, and definitely did not like the software experience that's made to rio people off.
@avismusic0"Land of the free" I hate this country
@olive-yelloSo where are we on this now?
@melwinthomas4382Anyone watching this in 2025?
@damonblade3195It most definitely is the IRS
@RuiNDieM1988Depends on who's in charge of the government... Not looking good right now for this
@EsmesalingerI love how everyone calls it a return lol.
@CaulmareJohnny Please please 🙏🙏 make a video on Indian Taxation system, its goodness and badness , its flaws and how to reform it...😅
@Unknownbass18The greatest con in history is paying taxes!!!...
@dirtmanrock5428It is important to note that if the government provides a service to file your taxes for “free” there are costs to run that program and you will pay them via taxes. It will at best be no cost to you upfront.
The question: Do you think the government can render a better service than the private sector?
As an lnvesting enthusiast, I often wonder how top level investors are able to become millionaires off investing. . I’ve been sitting on over $545K equity from a home sale and I’m not sure where to go from here, is it a good time to buy into stocks or do I wait for another opportunity?.
@AbigailOliviaq4lYou pay to file your tax to get your (refund) money back and you pay if you owe the IRS money. We pay either way.
@slreythuge8113Antwon Ford
@RodneySchulenburg-h6lthey video took a turn we still have no idea why the tax system is this complicated?
@uppermoonzerooThe villain is ‘the government’ and the victims are honest LEGAL citizens.
@jimbaxter8488Silence this nonsense. Johnny is not a journalist
@Harris24-vote-blueIt’s because the government is constantly trying to control our behavior and redistribute wealth through the tax system. FLAT TAX
@sgrant39Except wjat is the cost to the taxpayers? As we know, NOTHING is free and frankly, I am not one who would “qualify” for “free” services. Also, I believe government thinks the people are not smart enough to handle their own taxes (as evidenced by many states not allowing the people to own their own medical records.
@ronnichristensensoto514Yes, Intuit shouldn't have scammed the government. No, the government shouldn't have allowed itself to believe that a commercial enterprise would willingly cut its own throat. But let's not forget how the market for TurboTax was created: by the same class of lobbyists, donors, lawmakers, and bureaucrats who created the ridiculous system of taxes, exemptions, favors, etc. primarily to win votes or dole out favors. To make tax filing easier, do the portal with a simplified tax code. And stop using tax policy as a tool for political spoils and social engineering.
@spidgeb3292I get my w2 end of jan, I do my taxes in 5 minutes. I am in NYC.
@rikachiuThis is such top-tier journalism... where the problem, the obstacles, and potential solutions are clearly laid out, with such little room for subjective interpretations. A rare find, honestly.
@anoriolkoyt10% flat tax no matter how much u make
@itsYourfuture-f6xYou have to pay a private company to file your taxes? That's the most American thing I've ever heard!
@teabagfcGet intuit out of here a bunch of crooks.
@John-gn2dpYou are not required to pay federal taxes!!
@laurietaylor8352He is full of S#$@ Obama fined people for not having health insurance
@laurietaylor8352It's illegal for IRS to take our taxes look it up in the constitutional Rights
@laurietaylor8352Why not have the IRS take everything, and put everyone on welfare?
@Gary-zq3pzTax services lobby the government to keep it complex. The IRS has every W2, and 1099, and already knows what you should pay, especially for most taking the standard deduction. The system is set up hoping you make a mistake.
Time to change the tax code, and have a minimum tax for all Americans making over say 200k with no loopholes or deductions. For the rest of us, make the payroll deduction what we owe, and simplify the tax code. We only should file a return if we are asking for something like a medical emergency, or relief from divorce or financial ruin. The IRS can then run more efficiently for those who actually need services.
Market is down still, I've been looking up strategies and apparently both bull and bear market condition provides equal avenue to accrue massive gains, and a news article particularly mentioned a 54 year old that made $180k in 5weeks, how do I learn these strategies, my portfolio has been stagnant for months.
@PremSteve-yg4deThis well grafted NYT liberal videos.zzzzzz.
Funny this guy is a research journalist, but acts
Naïve and friendly complete with interesting music in the background to try and sway his point.
Note; Regan hated taxes, democrats liked be taxes & expanding government.
I wanna see statistics on how much government officials recieved form Intuit. Can we see that tax return?
@SalariedStartupI don't know how you can make a video like this and then end it with hopefulness within our governments hands. They are the ones that got us in the position. If they pay off lobyist, how can one say they don't also pay off the government.
@SalariedStartupwait ok so now talk about lobbyist. How are they able to publicly "accept bribes"?
@SalariedStartupBiden consultant in too wtf
@SalariedStartupAI will solve this
@grr82I usually try a few different tax prep softwares when I do my taxes each year. I almost submitted my taxes with TurboTax this year, and I nearly made a mistake because of the way they worded one of their questions about my taxes. I'm glad I tried a different software before submitting.
Also, CreditKarma had an excellent FREE tax software one year. I loved it. But the next year they sold the service to a different company that totally ruined it, and then intuit bought it. Uhg.
https://youtu.be/yzvUP0xK4mw?si=8oqzkeo2j8_xsgL3
@mlindenigumede7598Tax money does not go to what they say it does. Do your research.
@2Sugarbearswait, republicans used to actually DO things for the people?
@DrewRobertson1It did happen. And it was available for the 2022 and 2023 tax season. https://www.irs.gov/e-file-providers/free-file-fillable-forms
@SB-jw2ku