H&R Block and Jackson Hewitt Getting Ready to Put Smaller Competitors out of Business

[kerrywins]

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703580904574638400669497722.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Of course, they must use the government to do this.
It is the state that will help us reach a monopoly in the market place.

a loophole for H&R may be available because its paid preparers work under supervisors, and thus those preparers may not be subject to the regulation. So that could be a major price advantage for them, driving up their competitors’ costs/prices relative to their own. I’m sure H&R’s ‘VP for government relations’ is hard at work on making a slick deal for the big tax firm. This reminds me of executives at the quasi-governmental corporate state giant, General Electric, who said about Sarbanes-Oxley: “We welcome the move.” Indeed, because they knew Sarbanes-Oxley would hinder and cripple smaller firms much more so than ginormous firms like GE.

[sharp_stick]

1. I know

I love using the fly-by-night guy in the strip mall to do my taxes. He's got no training and no real experience but shit, he gets me a massive refund by simply changing a few numbers. I don't know why he refuses to sign the return or give me a copy but I'm sure it's all on the up and up, he's always gone on April 16th for some reason.

What's the IRS going to do... come after me for tax fraud? I'm sure they'll be understanding when I tell them Dan did my taxes (I'm sure it's his real name).

:sarcasm: because it seems to be needed around here.

[kerrywins]

5. yeah, because no small company could ever be qualified to do taxes

only big corporations.....

:eyes:

[sharp_stick]

6. Who said that?

Anybody can qualify, all you have to do is pass a basic competency exam. Even better, become a CPA, set up your own company and you don't even need to do that.

The paranoia seems to run pretty deep around here sometimes.

[NotGivingUp]

2. it's always about gov't eliminating competition and creating monopolies

they keep doing it and doing it, and then tell us they're too big to fail, and then proceed to empty our pockets. it's time to put an end to their bullshit.

[TheCowsCameHome]

3. Back in the '60's.....

...I was approached by H&R Block about becoming a seasonal tax preparer. I told them I couldn't even balance my own checkbook.
Their reply was "Come work for us. We'll train you for two weeks and you'll be a fully qualified tax expert"

Yeah, right...........

[prole_for_peace]

4. I'm a tax accountant and I hate those companies

And it's not that I mind the "competition", it's the fact that a client will come to me and give me a prior year return filed by these bozos and it is usually just about all wrong.