Elon Musk bragged about "deleting" a government program that offers Americans free tax filing services, however the removal only extends to their X account for now.
The Tesla CEO responded to a tweet Monday by prominent X account and self-proclaimed "American supremacist" ALX, in which ALX called 18F, the office that runs the Direct File service, a "far left government wide computer office."
Responding to ALX's claims, Musk tweeted, "That group has been deleted."
That group has been deleted https://t.co/TICeriaLlA
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 3, 2025
However, a community notes post under ALX's post clarified that the Direct File does not file individuals' tax returns "for them." Instead, Direct File offers a free alternative to people to file their taxes themselves.
While individuals are in charge of filing their own tax returns, they have access to customer service representatives if they have questions, according to the Department of Treasury.
Musk's statement saying the "group has been deleted" led to some confusion. As of Monday night, Direct File is still available to Americans for the 2025 tax season. However, the agency's X account has been deleted, as reported by the Associated Press.
The IRS announced in May 2024 that the Direct File program would remain permanent following its initial launch that March, which prompted intense backlash from private companies that offer tax filing services.
Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency recently came under scrutiny from users and Democratic lawmakers after reports surfaced that revealed that his allies had accessed the US Treasury payment systems.
While Musk has claimed that the efforts are to help reduce government spending, others believe that the actions indicate an overreach of power.
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