last summer. It gave the IRS nine months and $15 million to report in on how it might implement such a program and how much it would cost. the first in a series of reports looking into how it might be done.
“It’s important that Americans have choices that work best for them when preparing their taxes, whether it’s by using a tax professional, tax software or free options,” he said. An analysis shows that Intuit, H&R Block, and other private companies and advocacy groups for large tax preparation businesses, as well as proponents in favor of electronic free file, have reported spending $39.3 million since 2006 to lobby on “free-file” and other matters. Federal law doesn’t require domestic lobbyists to itemize expenses by specific issue, so the sums are not limited to free-file.
The provision that barred the IRS from exploring a free-file system expired in 2019, but the Free File Alliance agreement to provide free services for low-income taxpayers remains in effect. Rep. Jason Smith, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, sent a letter to the IRS in March questioning Jurow-Kleiman’s ability to be an independent reviewer, saying her work indicates “a clear preference for an expansive government-run system.”