Peeking Behind the Code–IRS Just Open-Sourced Direct File
a year ago
- #Open Source
- #Taxation
- #IRS
- The IRS open-sourced Direct File, releasing its codebase on GitHub.
- Direct File includes the Fact Graph, a logic engine for parsing tax scenarios.
- Fact Graph is a declarative system in XML and Scala, modeling tax law as a web of interrelated facts.
- Unlike for-profit tax software, Fact Graph's rules are open and transparent.
- Direct File's transparency could transform how government logic and automated decision-making are handled.
- The open-sourcing hints at a future where regulatory logic is reviewable and improvable by the public.
- Direct File's scope is limited, and its future is uncertain, but its transparency sets a precedent.
- State tax agencies and benefit programs could adopt similar transparent logic systems.
- The IRS's move could inspire broader government transparency in automated systems.