Intuit has long worked against return-free filing. The company has said in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission that it views free government tax preparation as a risk to its business.
A House bill would bar the IRS from offering taxpayers software that would compete with programs like TurboTax. Tax activist Grover Norquist and others wrote a letter to members of Congress that urged them to support the bill — what they called a "pro-taxpayer, anti-IRS power grab legislation." At issue is how Americans file their taxes and whether electronic filing can be offered directly through the IRS.
Why can't you file your taxes in five minutes — and for free? Well, it doesn't help that simpler a system for filing your taxes has been opposed for years by the company behind the most popular consumer tax software — Intuit, maker of TurboTax.
