Will the REAL Tax Prep Professional Please Stand Up?

The recent battle of national tax chain advertising has shed some long overdue light on tax preparation truths for the public to digest. In January 2013, U.S. District Judge Fernando J. Gaitan, Jr. of the Western District of Missouri, ruled against H&R Block’s request for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction against two TV commercials for Intuit’s TurboTax software. The off-season ‘plumber’ and ‘clothing store salesperson’ ads depict tax chain stores in the proper light, and are quite comical to watch.

H&R Block demanded the ads be taken off the air, however they were not found to be 'false' or 'deceptive'. H&R Block came back with their own ad of actually signing returns, which Intuit's TurboTax software program clearly can't do. Seems they were walking a thin advertising line a few years ago displaying a huge banner across their window asking, 'Turbo GPS Got You Lost?’

The publicity generated from these tax chains battling is opening the public's eyes to CPA tax preparation as the 'creme de la creme'. TurboTax's 2013 ads drive home the truth only CPA's, Tax Attorneys, or E.A’s can legally answer tax questions and give advice. What they are actually doing is shouting to the world CPA's are the real tax professionals, with the education and technical expertise to accurately complete tax returns.

Thanks to the tax chains, many previously uninformed taxpayers will now be making a wiser choice in tax preparation providers. After all, when you're trusting someone with your finances, shouldn't you expect the best?