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Intuit said it will appeal the decision, saying it is "confident
that when the matter ultimately returns to a neutral body Intuit
will prevail, as it has previously in this matter".
In April 2022, a U.S. judge refused an FTC request to block
Intuit from running ads for "free" tax filing products.
In May 2022, Intuit agreed to pay $141 million in restitution to
settle claims by all 50 U.S. states and Washington, D.C., that
it tricked millions of customers into buying TurboTax products
that the company advertised as "free".
The settlement resolved claims that Intuit steered at least 4.4
million customers, many with low incomes, into buying its tax
preparation products despite the customers eligibility for free
electronic filing through the Internal Revenue Service.
The settlement also required the largest U.S. online tax
preparer to suspend ads containing slogans such as "TurboTax
Free is free. Free free free free".
Consumers who were part of the settlement began receiving
payments in May, the New York Attorney General's Office said.
The Mountain View, California-based company admitted no
wrongdoing.
Intuit already adheres to most of the advertising practices in
the FTC’s decision, the company said on Friday, adding: "there
is no monetary penalty, and Intuit expects no significant impact
to its business". It said it has "has been clear, fair, and
transparent with its customers and is committed to free tax
preparation".
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Leslie Adler)
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