Professor Ventry Publishes Op-ed on ReadyReturn in LA Times

Professor Dennis J. Ventry, Jr. has published an op-ed in the Los Angeles Times on the tireless efforts of Intuit, the maker of the tax preparation software Turbo Tax, to abolish California's free, innovative and wildly popular electronic tax filing programs, ReadyReturn and CalFile.

Together, the programs save taxpayers between $4 million and $10 million annually in fees for figuring and filing their taxes, according to the Franchise Tax Board, while also netting the state $500,000 in reduced processing and administrative costs.  Yet that hasn't stopped Intuit from "leading the fight to replace the programs state's free tax filing programs with its and other software manufacturers' programs," the article states, nor from spending $1.25 million on lobbyists over the last five years and another $2.12 million in cash contributions to individual politicians.

"Abolishing ReadyReturn and CalFile would hurt Californians. Intuit's alternative would cover fewer taxpayers and provide fewer services; it would cost individuals millions of dollars in preparation fees (much of which Intuit wants to pocket); and it would kill two programs that actually save the state money," writes Professor Ventry.

Professor Ventry is an expert in tax policy and has written widely in the field. His research interests include family taxation, tax expenditure analysis, legal ethics and professional standards, tax and legal history, tax compliance and administration, and public finance.

Los Angeles Times op-ed: "Intuit just won't quit"

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