Just pirate TurboTax. Torrent it, set up a fresh windows VM with Internet access via VPN, install/update turbotax, crack it to get the state version, make sure it's got live versions of all the forms you need, disconnect Internet access (never to be reconnected), copy previous year's data files to VM, do taxes, print out and file by mail, copy data files off to long term storage, save VM image in case you need to revisit any time soon.
Sure, it's a bit tedious. But short of a privacy-preserving libre solution or just doing them manually with fillable PDFs, you'd have to do most of that isolation prepwork anyway. So fuck 'em.
P.S. The directions for modifying .NET assemblies to crack TurboTax are simple and easily followed by anyone with basic programming skill. So if you're fine trusting Intuit you could obtain the installation files from them directly, crack it yourself, and even have e-filing capability from what I understand.
TurboTax is one of the few pieces of tax software meant for offline use, thus letting you keep your personal information from entering the permanent records of surveillance valley.
Just quickly looking at CashApp Tax, it appears it is an Android app that likely will want network access to function. If that meets your requirements, good for you. But it doesn't meet mine. I'd also rather use the same software year to year so that information is carried forward, rather than being subject to whichever way the startup winds blow.
CashApp Tax is Credit Karma Tax that was bought by Square. Everything transferred from previous years and Square/Block Inc is publicly traded corporation with a ~$85 billion market cap so I’m not sure what you mean by “whichever way the startup winds blow.”
Furthermore — it’s your tax records. As soon as the government receives them they enter the permanent records of surveillance valley.
"Cash.app" had no name recognition for me and frankly the name sounds gimmicky. I hassumed it was some fly by night thing, but okay, thanks for informing me it has a longer history and large company behind it. Still, being free, it either presently has a revenue strategy (ie commercial surveillance), or it will inevitably pivot to one down the line.
> As soon as the government receives them they enter the permanent records of surveillance valley.
Uh no, US tax records are not public data, nor available for the surveillance industry to buy AFAIK. It's unavoidable that the government gets them, but the fewer parties that get mine the better.
Sure, it's a bit tedious. But short of a privacy-preserving libre solution or just doing them manually with fillable PDFs, you'd have to do most of that isolation prepwork anyway. So fuck 'em.
P.S. The directions for modifying .NET assemblies to crack TurboTax are simple and easily followed by anyone with basic programming skill. So if you're fine trusting Intuit you could obtain the installation files from them directly, crack it yourself, and even have e-filing capability from what I understand.