L.A. Times Criticizes Republican Efforts to Kill ReadyReturn

Following up on Friday's post, More on the Politics of Free e-Returns: L.A. Times editorial, GOP Shill Game: A Ploy to Kill the ReadyReturn Program to Boost a Private Firm Shames Republican Legislators:

California's Republican state senators ...  refused to vote on Democrats' bills in an effort to eliminate ReadyReturn, a service of the Franchise Tax Board. ... ReadyReturn saves taxpayers time and headaches. The board has shown that it pays for itself with increased compliance. It reduces errors. It lowers the state's costs for processing returns. Republicans oppose all that?

Yes, they do -- because in this case efficient and responsive government means fewer sales of TurboTax, software that helps filers prepare their tax returns and that, presumably, more Californians would buy if the Franchise Tax Board were as inefficient and messed up as so many other state programs. Intuit is the company that makes TurboTax, and perhaps you can guess what else it does: It gives lots of money to GOP lawmakers.

(Hat Tip: Dennis Ventry.)