This sounds extremely like my old tax accounting job. OCR existed and "worked" but it was faster to just enter the numbers manually than fix all the errors.
Also, the real solution to the problem should have been for the IRS to just pre-fill tax returns with all the accounting data that they obviously already have. But that would require the government to care.
It'd be nicer if you wouldn't presume to know the reasons people might believe erroneous information.
In this case, the reason for the misinformation is do to the lack of communication from the DOGE entity regarding their actions. Mr. Musk wrote via Tweet that he had "deleted" the digital services agency "18F" that develops the IRS Free File program and also deleted their X account.
Also, the real solution to the problem should have been for the IRS to just pre-fill tax returns with all the accounting data that they obviously already have. But that would require the government to care.