IRS Direct File Program Must Ensure Taxpayer Data Stays Secure

Tens of millions of taxpayers are cast out to engage with the for-profit tax preparation industry just to pay the government the money they already know they owe, so it’s no surprise that the IRS’s report to Congress on an IRS-run direct e-file return system was met with massive approval. A direct e-file return system brings the promise of a public option for filing returns.

One huge requirement of making a shift to a space likely dominated by a public option from a space dominated by for-profit private tax preparers is accountability. When private preparers leaked or mishandled data, taxpayer ...