GOP Moves Closer to Nixing IRS Direct File: BGOV Tax

R.I.P. Direct File?

Congress this week was set to receive a report examining options for an IRS-run public-private partnership to help Americans file taxes for free.

Sound familiar? That’s because the IRS already has such an option called Free File that was created two decades ago under President George W. Bush. Many big tax prep firms backed out of Free File in recent years, amid media reports that the firms hid their free options.

A new system also would be distinct from Direct File—the IRS-run free filing program created by Democrats. Tax prep companies and Republicans have been trying ...