Tax time again and no linux apps not even on the web this year!

[d2e2]

Every year, for the last 8 or 9 years, I have used the IRS efile system to do my taxes. Every year I spend about an hour or five looking for an application that will work on Linux and every year I find all kinds of promises that one is being developed, but it just ain't so.

Usually I find an application on the WEB and use it. But this year I couldn't do so. Yes there are many sites available but Firefox would not render the site pages in a readable form. So, I was forced to use my wife's machine which had MS Windows on it.

I really hate Windows. I do not like the Microsoft business model. I do not like being manipulated and coerced into using their product.

On top of my resentments regarding Microsoft, I really get pissed when I am force to pay an additional fee to enjoy the simplicity of the efile system.

It seems to me that I've already payed enough taxes and really get pissed when I have to pay a middle man to fill out a 1040ez. I have done my own taxes my whole working life. I can do so without any help, other then the IRS instruction manual, and find the 25 to 30 dollars I have to pay to get my taxes done infuriating.

It seems to me that the Government should be providing direct access to the efile system, that it should be providing a universal standardized port on the IRS WEB site.

I'm I alone in this?

[rokytnji]

I'm I alone in this?

Nope. Glad my wife is a Windows nut and does the taxes for me though. But you are right on in your point.

[MikeTbob]

Nope. Glad my wife is a Windows nut and does the taxes for me though. But you are right on in your point.

Same here, my wife does our taxes on her MS machine. Less headaches for me!

[jverhoev]

You are not alone. Maybe the Gvt is getting a kickback from the folks selling tax software or may they just want someone they can sue if the software has glaring mistakes.

[Freston]

It's no help to you, but in the Netherlands we have been able to do our taxes on Linux for years now. It's not a technical difficulty to port the tax software to another platform. It's just a political decision.

I guess all I wanted to say is just that when enough people complain, a government can be forced to act.

[gruven]

I use taxact.com in Linux every year (using firefox), and have never had a problem.

[MikeTbob]

Last year my wife used Turbo Tax (online version) and I was able to login using Firefox-2.0/Linux, and view/edit anything, the only thing I didn't do was press the "Submit" button.

[bigvoo]

I used HR.block with ubuntu 8.4 and it worked flawlessly, already got my check in the mail...it DID say something like use another browser, but at the bottom of the page, it said: continue with this browser? and i clicked "yes"