Congressman Says 'Nobody Asked For The IRS To Be Americans' Tax Preparer,' Applauds Efforts To Shut Down The IRS Direct File Program
Rep. Jason Smith (R-MO) is celebrating the House-passed bill that would shut down the Internal Revenue Service Direct File program, a free federal tool that allows Americans to file taxes online without paying private companies.
'Nobody asked for the IRS to be Americans' tax preparer, filer, and auditor,' Smith posted on X on June 24. 'The House-passed One, Big, Beautiful Bill puts an end to the IRS Direct File Program.'Don't Miss:
GoSun's breakthrough rooftop EV charger already has 2,000+ units reserved — become an investor in this $41.3M clean energy brand today.
Invest early in CancerVax's breakthrough tech aiming to disrupt a $231B market. Back a bold new approach to cancer treatment with high-growth potential.
Despite Smith's remarks, the Direct File program has received broad support from taxpayers and voters across the political spectrum. According to a Data for Progress poll conducted in April, 82% of likely voters said they support expanding Direct File to all Americans. That includes 80% of Republicans, 85% of Independents, and 81% of Democrats.
The IRS launched Direct File using Inflation Reduction Act funds. It started as a small pilot in 12 states during the 2024 tax season and expanded to 25 states in 2025, serving 32 million eligible users. The tool was described as secure, simple, and always free.
Kitty Richards, senior fellow at the Groundwork Collaborative, a progressive economic policy group, said Direct File was 'a crystal clear example of government efficiency at work. Taxpayers shouldn't have to pay exorbitant fees to predatory for-profit companies just to file their taxes.'
According to Groundwork, IRS data and user surveys also backed the program's popularity. In 2024, 90% of surveyed users rated their experience as excellent or above average, and most reported filing in under an hour. By their estimates, Direct File saved taxpayers $5.6 million in fees during its first full rollout, and every dollar invested returned $160 in savings.
Trending: This Jeff Bezos-backed startup will allow you to become a landlord in just 10 minutes, with minimum investments as low as $100.
When news broke out in April that the Trump administration plans to discontinue Direct File for the 2026 tax season, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) called Direct File a 'massive success' that removed unnecessary middlemen. He accused President Donald Trump and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent of 'robbing regular American families to pay back lobbyists that spend millions to make tax filing more expensive and more difficult.'
Staff working on the program were reportedly told weeks earlier that they would no longer be needed.
The Department of Government Efficiency, once led by Tesla CEO (NASDAQ:TSLA) Elon Musk, reportedly played a role in weakening the IRS program. Musk posted in February that the Direct File development team had been 'deleted.'
Meanwhile, the program critics like David Williams of the Taxpayers Protection Alliance argued that the IRS overstepped by building Direct File without explicit approval. 'The IRS created Direct File without congressional approval,' Williams wrote in April. 'In fact, the $15M from the Inflation Reduction Act was supposed to be for a study. Instead, the IRS built the software.'
Still, many policy advocates and voters say the program filled a real need and made tax season less stressful.
See Next:
$100k in assets? Maximize your retirement and cut down on taxes: Schedule your free call with a financial advisor to start your financial journey – no cost, no obligation.
Warren Buffett once said, "If you don't find a way to make money while you sleep, you will work until you die." Here's how you can earn passive income with just $100.Up Next: Transform your trading with Benzinga Edge's one-of-a-kind market trade ideas and tools. Click now to access unique insights that can set you ahead in today's competitive market.
Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga?
TESLA (TSLA): Free Stock Analysis Report
This article Congressman Says 'Nobody Asked For The IRS To Be Americans' Tax Preparer,' Applauds Efforts To Shut Down The IRS Direct File Program originally appeared on Benzinga.com
© 2025 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNN
29 minutes ago
- CNN
Warren Buffett donates record $6 billion Berkshire shares
Warren Buffett donated on Friday another $6 billion of Berkshire Hathaway stock to the Gates Foundation and four family charities, his biggest annual donation since he began giving away his fortune nearly two decades ago. The donation of about 12.36 million Berkshire Class B shares boosted Buffett's overall giving to the charities to well over $60 billion. He donated 9.43 million shares to the Gates Foundation; 943,384 shares to the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation; and 660,366 shares to each of three charities led respectively by his children Howard, Susie, and Peter: the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, Sherwood Foundation and NoVo Foundation. Warren Buffett still owns 13.8% of Berkshire's stock, based on reported shares outstanding. His $152 billion net worth prior to Friday's donations made him the world's fifth-richest person, according to Forbes magazine. Buffett would rank sixth after the donations, which surpassed the $5.3 billion he donated last June. He donated another $1.14 billion to the family charities last November. In a statement, Buffett maintained he does not intend to sell any Berkshire shares. Now 94, Buffett began giving away his fortune in 2006. He changed his will last year, designating 99.5% of his remaining fortune after his death to a charitable trust overseen by his children. They will have about a decade to distribute the money, and must decide where it goes unanimously. Susie Buffett is 71, Howard Buffett is 70, and Peter Buffett is 67. Warren Buffett has led Omaha, Nebraska-based Berkshire since 1965. The $1.05 trillion conglomerate owns close to 200 businesses including Geico car insurance and the BNSF railroad, and dozens of stocks including Apple and American Express. Susie Buffett leads the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation, which funds reproductive health and is named for her mother, who was Warren Buffett's first wife. The Sherwood Foundation supports Nebraska nonprofits and early childhood education. The Howard G. Buffett Foundation focuses on global hunger, combating human trafficking and mitigating conflicts. The NoVo Foundation has initiatives focused on marginalized girls and women, and on indigenous communities. Buffett said last June that donations to the Gates Foundation would end when he dies.
Fast Company
30 minutes ago
- Fast Company
The rise of AI in CEO communications—and the credibility threat it poses
CEOs have become more than just corporate leaders—they're among the most valuable assets on the balance sheet. Great leadership can drive billions in market cap by shaping narratives and galvanizing stakeholders. But what happens when the communication tools they use to build credibility start to erode it? We're entering a new era in CEO communications, one where human messages increasingly filter through the lens of AI. Analysts and investors have long leaned on AI-powered language models and sentiment analysis to dissect earnings calls, parsing executive tone, word choice, and delivery for signals on strategy, risk, or future performance. Now, CEOs and their teams are flipping the script—crafting messages with the help of generative AI to appeal to the very same systems analyzing them. It's a feedback loop of machines talking to machines. And while the tech arms race might make earnings calls look polished and sentiment scores spike, it also risks creating a sentiment gap. In the end, credibility is still the most valuable currency in leadership—and AI can't replace that. The CEO Premium Meets the AI Arms Race Corporate valuation has always been about more than just numbers. Investors have baked intangibles like brand equity, leadership narratives, and cultural impact into their models. As NYU finance professor Aswath Damodaran puts it, valuation is as much about a company's story as it is about spreadsheets. The CEO's job is to integrate those stories with their strategies. Jensen Huang didn't make Nvidia a trillion-dollar company because of flawless financial execution—he did it by selling a vision of AI as the engine of the future, powering everything from healthcare to climate solutions. That's the CEO premium in action: the ability to turn a strategic story into market-moving value. But here's what no one's saying out loud: when that story is over-engineered with AI, something critical is lost. Consider this: Bank of America's S&P 500 corporate sentiment tracker, based on an analysis of thousands of earnings transcripts, hit an all-time high earlier this year, even as analysts lowered growth expectations for 2025. The disconnect is stark. While executives are optimizing their tone and language to look and sound bullish, it's masking underlying realities. We're looking at a sentiment bubble, where polished communications are designed to impress algorithms but are creating distance from actual performance. The result? A risk to long-term stakeholder confidence and broader market integrity. The Credibility Gap is Real–and Risky AI-powered communications is an incredible asset. It can help executives sharpen their messages, anticipate audience reactions, and streamline delivery. But when it starts to obscure reality—or worse, is used as a veil—it risks blowing up the most important thing any CEO has: credibility. Markets thrive on credibility. Investors place a premium on CEOs who communicate clearly and consistently, and are transparent about their strengths and challenges. When communication becomes engineered for algorithms rather than stakeholders, it creates a hollow effect—polished on the surface, but leaving questions below. This is more than theoretical. A recent study published in Harvard Business Review found that employees rated CEO messages as less helpful if they thought the message was AI-generated—even when it wasn't. Perception alone was enough to damage trust. That finding underscores the growing credibility risk CEOs face when misusing or leaning too heavily on AI. What CEOs Need to Do Now So where does this leave us? The CEOs who win in this new reality won't be the ones with the most AI-polished messaging—they'll be the ones who balance technology with authenticity. Here's how: Speak to Stakeholders, Not Just Algorithms: Say what you mean. Own the hard truths. AI should enhance a message, not sanitize it. AI-generated communications might score well with language models, but stakeholders—investors, employees, customers—aren't grading on polish. They're looking for clarity. Anchor Narratives in Performance: Narratives drive valuation, but they're meaningless without numbers. If the results are strong, show your math. If they're weak, explain why. Don't let AI overinflate optimism. Instead, use it to sharpen transparency. Ensure AI Augments, Not Replaces: AI is great for refining delivery and identifying blind spots, but it can't replace human judgment or instinct. Companies that over-rely on AI-driven clones or sentiment engineering risk losing the real connection that drives stakeholder engagement. Anticipate the Credibility Pivot: As sentiment inflation continues, markets will inevitably adjust. Investors will begin looking for the next differentiator, pivoting from polished delivery to deeper signals of authenticity. CEOs who lean into direct, unvarnished communication will stand out. Get Ahead of What's Coming: The tools analyzing your every word are only getting more advanced. The only sustainable strategy? Consistency. Authenticity. Messages that hold up under scrutiny—algorithmic or human. If your leadership story can't survive deep analysis, it was never leadership to begin with. The Way Forward: Still a Human Game AI is reshaping the rules of executive communications, but the most successful leaders will recognize that technology is a supporting act—not the star of the show. At the end of the day, the algorithms don't close deals, inspire employees, or build relationships with customers—CEOs do. In this next chapter of leadership, The CEOs who win won't be the ones scoring highest on sentiment trackers. They'll be the ones who use AI responsibly, stay grounded in performance, and lead with clarity and authenticity. Because when machines talk past each other, the whole system breaks down.
Associated Press
30 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Order.co Names Larry Robinett to Lead Partnerships and Drive Adoption of Its Workday Built Procurement Integration
NEW YORK, June 30, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- the world's leading B2B Ecommerce Platform, welcomes Larry Robinett as Head of Workday Accounts & Alliances. Robinett joins the company to expand strategic partnerships and scale adoption of exclusive Workday Built integration. Robinett brings more than two decades of experience in enterprise software and strategic alliances, with a long-standing focus on the Workday ecosystem. Most notably, he served as Vice President of Sales and Partner Alliances at Ascend Software. Here, he successfully spearheaded the company's strategic partnership with Workday to help customers streamline accounts payable operations. As a result of the partnership, customers experienced significant efficiency gains and cost savings through AP automation, allowing them to scale operations without adding headcount – all while maximizing their investment in Workday Financial Management. Now, as the Head of Workday Accounts & Alliances at Robinett will lead efforts to expand enterprise adoption of the company's innovative Workday integration. With the integration at customers' fingertips, they can unlock greater control, efficiency, and savings with a modern procurement experience from requisition to reconciliation. 'I'm thrilled to join at such an exciting stage of growth,' Robinett said. 'As someone who has worked extensively in the Workday ecosystem, I'm especially proud to join a company with a Workday Built integration, an achievement that reflects close collaboration with Workday's product teams to deliver meaningful value to joint customers. I look forward to building strong partnerships and helping Workday Financial Management customers simplify and modernize their procurement experience in Workday.' As a Workday Select Partner, worked closely with Workday to co-develop an embedded B2B Ecommerce experience directly within the Workday platform. Using exclusive 'Integrated Search', customers can purchase all the items they need from the best-fit suppliers without leaving the Workday portal. Teams can search for any item and browse pre-approved products within their custom catalog, complete with contracted pricing or cost-effective alternatives. Submitting an order automatically generates a pre-populated requisition, eliminating the need for manual, error-prone data entry. Once approved, handles vendor fulfillment, and pre-coded invoices load seamlessly into Workday. Some of the benefits of leveraging Integrated Search include: customers have raved about the integration, with Kyle Ingerman, Finance Transformations Senior Manager at WeWork, saying, 'I cannot tell you how much time, effort, and money [the integration] has saved us.' To learn more about Workday-built integration, visit About simplifies business buying by combining the ease of online shopping with the sophistication of world-class purchase order and AP automation. The result? Businesses cut costs and complexity with every order. Hundreds of companies, like WeWork and Hugo Boss, leverage to centralize purchase-to-pay workflows, scale operations, and gain total control over spending – saving an average of 5% on products. Founded in 2016 and headquartered in New York City, has raised $70M in funding from industry-leading investors like MIT, Stage 2 Capital, Rally Ventures, 645 Ventures, and more. To learn more, visit About Workday Workday is the AI platform for managing people, money, and agents. The Workday platform is built with AI at the core to help customers elevate people, supercharge work, and move their business forever forward. Workday is used by more than 11,000 organizations around the world and across industries – from medium-sized businesses to more than 60% of the Fortune 500. For more information about Workday, visit Media Contact Allison Reich Senior Manager of Brand, Content & Enablement [email protected]
