Internal company documents lay out its tactics.
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The Big Story

Thu. Oct 17, 2019

Inside TurboTax’s 20-Year Fight to Stop Americans From Filing Their Taxes for Free

Using lobbying, the revolving door and “dark pattern” customer tricks, Intuit fended off the government’s attempts to make tax filing free and easy, and created its multi-billion-dollar franchise.

   

More From This Investigation

Trump’s Tax Law Threatened TurboTax’s Profits. So the Company Started Charging the Disabled, the Unemployed and Students.

The move by TurboTax maker Intuit to charge more lower-income customers has helped boost revenue.

IRS-Funded Review Confirms TurboTax Hid Free Filing From Search Engines, but Says There’s No Need for Major Changes

An outside firm echoed ProPublica’s reporting but defended the oversight of the tax-prep program meant to help millions of Americans file their taxes for nothing.

Intuit CEO in Internal Video: Hiding Free TurboTax Was In “Best Interest of Taxpayers”

The video obtained by ProPublica shows the CEO defending the company as committed to “integrity without compromise.”

TurboTax Uses A “Military Discount” to Trick Troops Into Paying to File Their Taxes

Intuit, the maker of TurboTax, created and promoted a “military discount” that charges service members who are eligible to file for free.

Did You Pay to Use TurboTax? Help Us Hold the Tax Prep Industry Accountable.

Readers have helped us figure out exactly how TurboTax maker Intuit and other companies make money off taxpayers. We want to hear more.

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