The lucrative tax prep industry has pursued a decades-long lobbying campaign to block the IRS from developing a free online tax filing service.
by David Moore, Sludge
As the tax preparation industry fights against the Internal Revenue Service offering a free e-filing system, one of its lobbying groups has hired three new lobbyists with ties to the congressional committees that oversee the IRS.
The lobbyists were hired on May 1, shortly before the IRS announced on May 16 that the Treasury Department has directed it to take a long-awaited next step and develop a free e-filing tool, in what it calls a “limited pilot” for the 2024 tax season. The announcement came on the same day the IRS submitted a feasibility study of such a system to Congress, which was required by a provision in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) that Congress passed last year. They are planning to lobby on “Issues related to tax administration and tax-time financial products,” according to a Senate filing.
The new lobbyists work for the law firm Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck and were retained by American Coalition for Taxpayer Rights (ACTR), a trade association founded in 2011 by several tax prep companies. The group’s members include the two largest industry players in Intuit, owner of TurboTax, and H&R Block, as well as Republic Bank, Liberty Tax Services, and software company TaxSlayer.
Recent Posts
Privatize USPS? Mail Carriers Have A Better Idea
Take Action Now After battling for a fair contract, USPS workers face the threat of privatization, which they warn will harm all Americans.By Mel…
Senate Passes Massive $901 Billion National Defense Authorization Act, Sending It To Trump’s Desk
Take Action Now When combined with a supplemental bill passed earlier this year, the NDAA will bring the US military budget to over $1 trillionBy…
‘Absolute Dereliction Of Duty’: House Republicans Kill Venezuela War Powers Resolutions
Take Action Now Undeterred, members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus vowed to “continue to fight to stop Trump’s illegal war on Venezuela.”…
Trump Declares Naval Blockade Against Venezuela As Lawmakers Warn Of Unauthorized Act Of War
Take Action Now President Trump’s order to block sanctioned oil tankers near Venezuela escalates military tensions, raises constitutional and…