Lassannn
2621
349
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I don't even know which presidential candidate they might have been talking about.
Mar 24, 2026 12:29 AM
Lassannn
2621
349
14
I don't even know which presidential candidate they might have been talking about.
L4dead2
I helped my ex wife yesterday do her taxes and when that option came up, we were both like, “Hell no!!”
ataradov
H&R stopped asking many years ago.
LeifHietala
NFW. Not ever.
oHinano
It doesn't come out of your return. It dictates how much money goes to the candidates for their campaign. It beats politicians relying on billions to fund their campaigns making them beholden to the weakthy
lifeisadadjoke
Holy fuck...fuck that noise.
NickRivieraMD
Ya tuber, it's a fund that goes to pay for airtime equally for all candidates. It's the sad little pathetic stab at leveling the field money-wise we got instead of actual electoral reform.
NLOVNI
Longer with sound
Xenarion
They actually do that? Wow, the galls!
Ebo352
Dude, that's for candidates that don't take corporate money.
You should be funding it.
Are you someone that didn't vote in the last election cause there were no good candidates?
HypnagogicHallucinations
But no viable candidates decline the corporate funding anymore.
bottledham
I always check Yes on that box. I don't understand why anyone wouldn't.
It's not a "donation". It doesn't increase your tax or decrease your refund. The whole thing is setup to help keep elections clean and fair. Candidates that accept public funding have to agree to use *only* the public funding and agree to other rules.
SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem
Yeah a lot of people are just seeing the words "presidential campaign" and drawing the wrong conclusion without looking into what this is. It obviously doesn't solve our problems, and it's a drop in the ocean, but it's something. It's a good thing.
dtallen243
Fuck you @Lassannn who still uses Turbotax?
Lassannn
There's something better?
HelpfulCorn
H&R block is cheaper and just as good for complex returns
Lassannn
I just used turbotax for free. I mean, unless...did I get scammed or something?
HypnagogicHallucinations
Yeah, it's fine.
WienerBeener
Nah it's fine for free, but you have yo pay for more complicated stuff and the ad parts are still kinda annoying.
DisneyCountdowns
It’s adorable that you think Lassannn has a complex return.
HelpfulCorn
Haha well he has had a lot of jobs.
Lassannn
Yeah, what he said.
dtallen243
Yep plenty of free ones even the IRS has their own free filing. Used to use Credit Karma Tax until it was taken over by Turbo Tax. Currently used Cash App Tax
titoitoi
Might be wrong (not US) but I think I saw a headline in passing about how your IRS is shutting that free option down.
FlyByGRider
I saw that awhile ago too. Intuit was lobbying to shut down the free filing so they could make more money. It still seems to be active though. https://www.irs.gov/e-file-do-your-taxes-for-free">https://www.irs.gov/e-file-do-your-taxes-for-free
I used freetaxusa.com for the first time and it seemed pretty easy
CeruleanK
FreeTaxUSA.com. Works much the same, federal costs nothing, state is cheap, and you don't have Intuit dicking you around about what "level" you need
iBoulderDash
I second this. My mom used it almost immediately when it first launched 20-sum odd years ago. She taught me to use it. I've never used anything else. And they make it easier to use each year. Saves a bunch of info (like marital status, dependents, etc), you can upload W2's PDFs directly to the site and it fills it in for you. My taxes aren't ever that complicated, so I can just get in an out within 15 minutes.
VoidForScreaming
Can 100% vouch for this. Never using anything else.
Omnislash9
.
darthstormer
Its a checkbox on the 1040 form itself. It funds both parties. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presidential_election_campaign_fund_checkoff
jamandtoast
And there are conditions to taking that money. IIRC, Obama didn't take the money because it would've limited his fundraising tactics and he was raising more though the fundraising than he would've gotten from the fund.
Vempire
Get money out of politics
DorkJedi
ironically- this is how you do it. NO private money allowed, all campaigns run from a public fund with equal access.
sleix
IF it only funds two parties, then no, I will never check yes on that box.
RetrogradeLlama
Any party that qualifies for the ballot gets funding.
darthstormer
There are provisions for 3rd parties to get funds too, but in practice, just like the rest of our system........
darthstormer
That said, I've never once checked yes on that box.
DanielAsparagus
If it limited billionaire influence I’d pay 3 dollars a month.
dobe0TieDancer
I used to do about 400 tax returns a year. Usually had one person say yes to the $3 question. They can't be getting much through that system.
SmeesNotVeryGoodTwin
"In 1977, about 29% of taxpayers checked off the box to contribute $1 of their taxes towards the fund. The level dropped to 19% by 1992 and dropped further to only 3.6% in 2020." Yeah, I bet.
Lassannn
They ain't getting a fucking cent from me. They're all fucking rich.
universeHacker
The idea of it is to let people that aren't rich run competitive campaigns. Clearly, it does not work at all, but seems like the general line of thinking behind it has promise...
PithyCommentBelow
It doesn’t come from your money. It isn’t a donation.
Snowflake1942
It does in fact come from the taxes I pay. It does not change how much I pay or how much of a refund I get though.
bottledham
CallMeCourierSix
You mean they can't fund their own campaigns? OH WAIT. YES THEY CAN. THEY CAN USE AS MUCH OF THEIR OWN MONEY AS THEY WANT.
https://www.fec.gov/help-candidates-and-committees/candidate-taking-receipts/using-personal-funds-candidate/
bottledham
Public financing is supposed to help counter that. It's not a perfect solution, but it makes it possible to run for president without being rich or accepting bribes. I don't give or donate $3 to anyone. I tell the IRS to put $3 of the tax I already paid into the fund so any regular person can have a fighting chance against the billionaires.
CallMeCourierSix
Public financing is a joke: https://www.fec.gov/introduction-campaign-finance/understanding-ways-support-federal-candidates/presidential-elections/public-funding-presidential-elections/
Using public funds, a POTUS candidate was limited to just under $62 million in 2024. That is NOTHING when a SUPERPAC can donate hundreds of millions. Anyone backed by a billionaire is *ALWAYS* going to win, until Citizens United is repealed.