"Free" filing should be free as in freedom

Governments, and/or the companies that they partner with, are responsible for providing free as in freedom software for necessary operations, and tax filing is no exception. For many years now, a large portion of taxpayers have filed their taxes electronically through proprietary programs like TurboTax. Millions of taxpayers are led to believe that they have no other option than to use nonfree software or Service as a Software Substitute (SaaSS), giving up their freedom as well as their most private financial information to a third-party company, in order to file their taxes. The despair is understandable, considering the choices for tax filing that have been available for the past few decades. While the options for taxpayers have improved slightly with the IRS's implementation of the IRS Direct File program, this program unfortunately does require users to hand over their freedom when filing taxes.

Taxpayers deserve a free as in freedom filing system, but Direct File doesn't fit the bill yet.

IRS Direct File, commonly referred to as Direct File, is a tax-filing service offered by the IRS that allows US taxpayers to prepare and electronically file federal income tax returns at no cost. For people who are simply excited that they don't have to hand over private information (in twenty-five states) to a third party, and instead only to the government, you might wonder why it matters if the software the US government uses is free or nonfree. This goes for all software that a government and its people interact with, not just a tax filing program. There are many reasons why it should be a non-negotiable that taxes can be filed electronically in freedom, including:

• Transparency: Unless you can check what a program really does (or ask someone in the free software community to check for you), there is no way to know that the program isn't doing things you don't consent to it doing.
• Cybersecurity: While free software isn't inherently more secure than nonfree software, it does have a tendency to be more secure because many developers can continuously improve the program and search for errors that can be exploited. With proprietary programs like TurboTax, taxpayers and the US government are dependent on TurboTax to protect the sensitive financial and personal information of millions with few (if any) outside checks and balances. Furthermore, there is no guarantee that TurboTax (or another tax filing provider) will be around forever.
• Accountability: When a government relies on third-party nonfree programs, it is significantly more difficult for users to hold the government accountable when something goes wrong with the program, often leaving users to bear the aftereffects of problems with the software.
• Taxpayer dollars spent should actually benefit the taxpayers: Taxpayer dollars should not be used to fund third-party programs that seek to control users and force them to use their programs through lobbying. Any program that is built and maintained by everyone's tax dollars should be for everyone.
• Repairability: With free software, there is no uncertain wait period or reliance on a proprietary provider to make any needed bug or security fixes.
  
• Inclusivity: It's easier to update free software as a society changes to be more inclusive of other identities and experiences. There is no waiting or pushing from the government to get a proprietary provider to update the terms used or options unavailable. Outside of being able to easily update the software with societal shifts, with free software it is much more accessible for a diverse group of people to work on the software, making it less biased, more inclusive, and ultimately, work better for everyone.
• Decreases the chance of user lock-in: When a government relies on a third-party provider instead of free software for its interactions with taxpayers, over time the government can lose the information it needs to fulfill a task without the third-party provider. In other words, the government becomes unable to step away from a provider for a specific service, whether through choice or need.
• Longevity: There is no guarantee that TurboTax (or another tax filing provider) will be around forever.
• Affordability: Free software may not mean gratis by definition, though it does tend to be more affordable, both for users and government entities, than proprietary software.

These reasons, among likely many others not detailed here, are more than enough for any government to use free software for interactions with its people. Taxpayers shouldn't have to use a program that violates their individual freedoms to file legally required taxes. While Direct File is a step in the right direction as the program isn't in the hands of a third-party entity, it is still nonfree software. Because Direct File is a US government-operated program, and ongoing in the process of being deployed to twenty-five states, it's not too late to call on the IRS to make Direct File free software.

In the meantime, if you need to file US taxes and are yet to file, we suggest filing your taxes in a way that respects your user freedom as much as possible, such as through mailing tax forms. Like with other government interactions that snatch away user freedom, choose the path that most respects your freedom -- this will be different for everyone. We don't have to accept this unjust reality: we can work for a better future, together. Take action today and help make electronic tax filing free as in freedom for everyone.

Note: As of March 31, 2025, the Direct File program is available in twenty-five states for the 2024 tax filing season. Whether it will be available for the 2025 filing season remains to be seen.

Take Action

US taxpayers need to be able to file their tax returns in a freedom-respecting way. You can advocate for freedom-respecting electronic filing by writing to IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel. We've written a sample message for you to use or build on below:

Dear Acting Commissioner Melanie Krause,

Thank you for working to expand no-cost electronic preparing and filing for US taxpayers directly with the IRS. As a taxpayer, it is incredibly important to me that my rights are respected when I file my taxes, and unfortunately, the Direct File program, as well as partner programs, do not. A free society like the United States should not force its taxpayers to use programs that violate their user freedom. We need every interaction with our government, including the payment of taxes, to be transparent, sustainable, and most of all, protect our individual freedoms. Please visit the Free Software Foundations website at http://www.fsf.org/about/what-is-free-software to learn more about free/libre software. You can email campaigns@fsf.org if you have any questions or need help getting started. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

[Your name]

Your letter should be addressed as follows:

The Honorable Danny Werfel, Commissioner Internal Revenue Service 1111 Constitution Ave. NW,
Washington, DC 20224.

Please share your letter on social media to inspire others to do the same by tagging #FreeTax or #TaxInFreedom. Thank you for taking time to defend and promote user freedom. We couldn't do it without you.

A previous version of this article mistakenly stated that Danny Werfel is the current IRS Commissioner.

"Income Tax Calculation Calculate" © 2014, stevepb. This image is licensed under CC0 1.0.