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0 pointsghaff4y ago0 comments

>Perfect for open source

Not really.

The software as a whole needs to be verified across a wide range of everchanging rules, some of which are going to be a judgement call even among experienced accountants.

Why would people be interested in working on this project? It certainly doesn't break any new ground. It's just a long and ongoing grind to implement tax code rules. If for some reason, I have a lifelong ambition to work on accounting software, I'm sure Intuit, SAP, and Oracle pay reasonably well.

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hyperpallium24y ago

You're right about verification, there'd be a lag for changes until they become settled. Some projects do have moving targets - like youtube-dl - but testing is simple, and it's only one thing. (BTW even court tax rulings can have dissenting judges, so some points are real uncertain)

Many popular open source projects began as an open source version of something. e.g. linux. The structure of the software, to facilitate contribution, could break new ground.

I think the most significant and difficult-to-solve barrier is making contributing accessible to non-devs.

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