More regulations, fewer businesses. That's the normal course of action when government intersects business. Cronies in the federal government are being plied by lobbyists for H&R Block to make it harder for mom and pop competitors. See This Company Wants to Make It Harder for You to File Taxes:
Large companies can afford to comply with expensive regulations. Many of their small-business competitors cannot. So big businesses frequently lobby for stricter regulations in order to drive out small-business competition.
It is no accident that small business owners report government regulations and red tape as one of their greatest problems.
H&R Block seems to be trying to do the same thing to the tax preparation industry. Legally, anyone can prepare his own taxes. Anyone can also prepare someone else’s taxes for him. Approximately 350,000 independent tax preparers do exactly that. ...
Nonetheless, H&R Block wants Congress to require tax preparers pass a government exam, pay for continuing education, and pass a background check. These requirements would make working as a tax preparer much more expensive. The continuing education requirement would particularly burden seasonal tax preparers, who work other jobs the rest of the year. ...
That is not enough for H&R Block. It wants expensive licensing imposed on all tax preparers. If passed, these regulations would drive many independent tax preparers out of business.
Being pro-business is certainly not the same as being pro-free market. And in many cases it means crony capitalism.
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