Lee, On Sunday 28 November 2004 20:33, BandiPat wrote:
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Your points are valid Kevin, but ultimately only weak excuses.3
Far from true. Kevin's point is exactly correct. Programming a framework for tax submissions is straightforward. The real issue is essentially one of content. In this case, the content is a codification of the ever-changing tax laws. And given the critical nature of these laws, one wants a professional to supply that content. Furthermore, encoding the content must be done with knowledge of the software framework as well as of the pertinent laws. I'm not sure which commands higher price, but offhand (and as an experienced programmer), I'd say the tax accountant / lawyer costs more. Whether they're worth more, is a separate question, but these days, I think the tax guy commands a higher fee than the technologist. All in all, it's far from trivial to encode tax laws. Ultimately, I would not expect this kind of software / content to be supplied free (be it "free lunch" or "free speech").
Anyone that chooses to create their own setup in a spreadsheet or database doesn't do it for the forms, but to get their taxes done electronically without all the pencil & paper work. I think the only reason noone has done a program yet is because nobody has taken the time or had the interest to do it.
Nope. It requires expert knowledge of the tax laws more than it does knowledge of spreadsheet, database or GUI programming.
I think you might be surprised at how many tax lawyers & accountants use open source, but I'm guessing their lives stay busy enough without adding programming to it too! ;o)
Use it, yes. Supply it, no.
I've seen and used a spreadsheet setup before done in Lotus 1-2-3, but doubt I still have it around. I'll look, but to make a point, it provided everything that the "polished" tax programs provided without the cost. I think I even used that on the Amiga computer at the time. :o)
Thanks Lee
Randall Schulz