TurboTax maker Intuit has decided to appeal FTC’s order barring it from advertising its services as “free.” Credit: Sora Shimazaki / Pexels The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ordered Intuit, a TurboTax software maker, to stop advertising its services as free if they are not free for most of its users. Alternatively, the company will need to reveal the percentage of consumers who qualify for its free services. In addition, Intuit will also need to clearly disclose the “terms, conditions and obligations” required for consumers to use their “free” goods or services. The FTC voted 3-0 to issue this order against Intuit. This order was released subsequent to the original ruling against Intuit in September last year. “The Commission alleges that the company’s ubiquitous advertisements touting their supposedly “free” products—some of which have consisted almost entirely of the word “free” spoken repeatedly—mislead consumers into believing that they can file their taxes for free with TurboTax,” said the case summary on the FTC website. It added that almost two-thirds of tax filers were not able to use TurboTax’s free version in 2020. Intuit responded with its decision to appeal after the FTC’s order on Monday. “Intuit is immediately appealing this decision, and we believe that when the matter ultimately returns to a neutral body we will prevail,” said the statement issued by Intuit. “There is no monetary penalty in the FTC’s order, and Intuit expects no significant impact to its business,” it added. TurboTax is one of the largest software products to aid US citizens in filing tax returns. TurboTax: Repeat offender? About two years ago, Intuit had decided to pay $141 million as compensation to settle claims by 50 US states and Washington DC that it deceived several millions of customers into buying online products from TurboTax. This settlement also called for Intuit to stop using deceptive slogans like “TurboTax Free is free. Free Free Free Free.” This settlement also addressed claims that Intuit pushed close to 4.4 million users, many from low-income segments of society, to purchase tax filing products despite being eligible for free electronic filing through the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). FTC had alleged that TurboTax is free only for some users while the majority had to purchase it. “For many others, Intuit tells them, after they have invested time and effort gathering and inputting into TurboTax their sensitive personal and financial information to prepare their tax returns, that they cannot continue for free; they will need to upgrade to a paid TurboTax service to complete and file their taxes,” said the lawsuit. An investigation by ProPublica revealed in 2019 that Intuit lobbies extensively to make sure tax filing continues to remain complicated in the US, thus ensuring the continued relevance of TurboTax software. Related content feature State of IT jobs: Mixed signals, changes ahead Layoffs and salary plateaus in the wake of exuberant pandemic-era IT hiring has the IT talent market in flux. And while employers pay premiums for hard-to-find AI skills, IT pros seek the same for filling in-office openings. By Sarah K. White May 17, 2024 10 mins Salaries Hiring IT Jobs feature Project manager salary: 5 key tips to earn more Project managers need to know what their worth is — and make others know it, as well. Here’s a look at project manager compensation, skills that increase a project manager’s pay scale, and how to negotiate a more competitive project By Josh Fruhlinger May 17, 2024 14 mins Salaries Project Management Careers feature Cyber resilience: A business imperative CIOs must get right With ransomware at an all-time high, companies need to understand that being cyber resilient means going beyond compliance to considering all aspects of a business, from operational continuity to software supply chain security. By Andrada Fiscutean May 16, 2024 9 mins Regulation Incident Response Data and Information Security feature Shine a Spotlight on Your Team’s IT Excellence with CIO Awards Canada By Allice Shandler May 16, 2024 4 mins Events IT Leadership PODCASTS VIDEOS RESOURCES EVENTS SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe