Op-ED: Tell the IRS deep state: No on Direct File
By Chuck Flint, CEO of the Alliance for IRS Accountability
President Trump won an overwhelming mandate to drain the swamp of unelected bureaucrats and has made great progress so far, but the deep state has deep roots.
Unelected IRS bureaucrats are once again trying to revive the liberal Direct File scheme that gave the agency unilateral power to serve as tax preparer, collector and enforcer. It also gave bureaucrats more control over your personal finances and opened the door to the IRS using your data to target conservatives for their beliefs.
Now, these same IRS bureaucrats are trying to salvage Direct File. The agency recently ran a truncated two-week “survey” on so-called free filing options. Don’t be fooled. This survey is just doublespeak to justify more control over your taxes and more access to your data. The IRS is expected to deliver the results of its so-called survey to Congress in the coming weeks, and we shouldn’t be surprised if the results are prebaked.
That was why I launched a petition demanding an end to Direct File. Already, more than 2,200 Americans have signed on. The message is clear: Taxpayers don’t want or trust this IRS scheme.
For years, Direct File was a pet project of Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Massachusetts Democrat, and her allies in Congress. So when Democrats had unified control of government during the Biden years, Ms. Warren and her allies saw their chance and unilaterally launched the program in time for the 2024 tax season.
These are the same bureaucrats who have a track record of targeting conservative groups during the Obama era. Top IRS attorney Anthony Sacco, who was involved in the creation of Direct File and who used to work for liberal Capitol Hill Democrats, has “called for people to ‘resist’ the GOP and attacked the police,” according to The Daily Wire.
These are the deep state bureaucrats who want more access to your taxpayer data.
Fortunately, conservatives and hardworking taxpayers saw through this transparent power grab. In its first two years, less than 1% of eligible taxpayers used Direct File. Why? Because taxpayers simply don’t trust the IRS to prepare their taxes and maximize their refund checks while acting as the government’s tax collector. This is a conflict of interest of the highest order.
The IRS spent an astounding average of $814 per return filed through Direct File in 2024, more than five times what it costs most taxpayers to use existing, private options. Even the left-leaning Government Accountability Office found that these numbers could be even higher.
According to internal IRS documents, the IRS deliberately hid negative taxpayer feedback about Direct File. Many taxpayers described the system as “creepy” and “invasive.” Others faced constant website crashes, lost filings and received lower refunds. The system’s use of facial recognition technology left taxpayers rightfully unsettled, forcing them to hand over even more sensitive personal information to access their own tax returns.
Direct File’s limitations made it unusable for many Americans with investment income, small businesses or gig work, meaning that millions of taxpayers would receive none of the alleged benefits. Most taxpayers also couldn’t file their state or local taxes within Direct File, forcing them to prepare their taxes twice.
Meanwhile, taxpayers already have the tools they need to file their taxes affordably or free of charge using existing private-sector offerings. Direct File is duplicative, wasteful and unnecessary.
Congressional Republicans included an official repeal of the program in the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act, but the unelected Senate parliamentarian blocked it.
Don’t let them rewrite the narrative. Tell the IRS deep state: No on Direct File. If you haven’t already, join the more than 2,200 Americans who have signed the petition to end Direct File today. Stand with Mr. Trump and congressional Republicans to end this wasteful, dangerous program once and for all.
Chuck Flint is president and CEO of the Alliance for IRS Accountability.
Read the original piece HERE.