From [HERE] Commercial tax preparation companies like H&R Block and Intuit, the company that owns TurboTax, have poured tens of millions of dollars into lobbying as part of a multiyear push against a government-run filing service that would enable taxpayers to submit tax returns directly to the IRS at no cost. 

A free tax filing service could diminish the need for services provided by commercial tax prep companies, which profit from complicated tax filing processes that require many Americans to pay for help. 

TurboTax owner Intuit spent more on federal lobbying in the first three months of 2023 than any prior first quarter . The surge in spending comes on the heels of heated debate over whether the government should provide its own free tax filing service that was reignited by an $80 billion funding increase to overhaul the IRS as part of the Inflation Reduction Act passed in 2022.

The tax prep company — which also owns ​​QuickBooks, Mint, Credit Karma and Mailchimp — spent a record sum of $980,000 on lobbying during the first quarter of 2023, more than any prior first quarter. [MORE]