[astura]

>would not be surprised if articles like these are just another form of PR for tax preparation companies

They absolutely are not - the crux of the issue is tax prep companies should be a very niche product - the government should provide an efile option. Since most people's taxes are fairly simple they should be automatically done for you so all you have to do is log in and approve of the autogenerated form. At the very, very least e-forms should be pre filled out with what the government already knows about you because your employer, bank, or brokerage reported to them.

All this standard in almost all other developed countries. It's absurd there is for profit companies calling the shots in this area.