Direct File Was the Glitch They Couldn’t Patch
✍️ By Boris Thuginski | The Will to Resist
The IRS built something that worked. That actually worked. A clean, free, easy-to-use tax filing system called Direct File—built by public servants, reviewed by counsel, and trusted by everyone who used it.
So of course, it had to be killed.
Not because it was flawed. But because it proved something dangerous:
That government can function—and do so without profit.
🧠 What Was Direct File? Direct File wasn’t a theory or a pilot pipedream. It was real software, developed by 18F and the US Digital Service. It:
Filed federal taxes directly.
Earned rave reviews from users.
Increased public trust in the IRS by 86%.
Was open-sourced for full transparency.
It wasn’t just efficient—it was built for the people, with no upsells, no shady fees, no traps.
🔥 Why It Was Targeted Enter the vultures: Intuit. TurboTax. Trump’s megabill. Lobbyists.
To them, a free tool isn’t innovation—it’s a threat to the revenue stream. Direct File didn’t fail. It was gunned down politically. Because it embarrassed billion-dollar companies who profit off making taxes harder.
When you give the public a working option, you expose the grift.
💾 The Resistance Move: Open Source Here’s the glitch:
Even as the program’s future is under attack, the code has been released to the public.
700+ pages. IRS-vetted. Trusted logic. Now on GitHub for the world to see, adapt, and build upon.
And the devs? They didn’t retreat—they left government and formed a fellowship to keep building the future of tax filing on their own terms.
⚔️ Why This Matters This isn’t just about taxes.
This is about public systems being reclaimed by people who believe in transparency, access, and functionality. This is about power being challenged—not through protest, but through competence.
And it scares them. Because what if more government tools actually worked?
🔥 Final Word from the Glitch: Direct File wasn’t perfect. But it was honest. Clean. Clear. And that was enough to make the system flinch.
They couldn’t stop the code. They couldn’t silence the builders. And they couldn’t patch the glitch.
So now it’s ours.
🏷️ Tags: #directfile #opensource #digital-resistance #govtech #freedom-to-file #the-will-to-resist
This post is part of The Will to Resist—an ongoing series confronting systems, censorship, and synthetic obedience.