TurboTax 2003 Premier
$59.95 for Windows
By Intuit Inc.
www.turbotax.com
Executives from Intuit’s TurboTax division visited recently to tout the 2003 version of America’s leading tax-preparation software. First off, they admitted that the gee-whiz magic of these tax products has morphed into “so what” ordinariness.
For several years, TurboTax and its only serious market-share competitor, TaxCut from H&R Block, have offered detailed help using video clips in which talking heads coach a user through the Gordian knot of tax forms and how to fire them off electronically.
Maybe the biggest news about TurboTax this year is that Intuit has dropped last year’s disastrous product-validation scheme, which placed potentially intrusive spyware-type programs on customers’ hard drives. Federal law permits users to fill out five tax forms with a single copy of the 2003 product, and Intuit promises that there is no hidden software to monitor compliance.
TurboTax 2003 can import files from TaxCut, which Block markets in partnership with Microsoft. This means that the substantial number of steady customers Intuit lost to TaxCut last year over the validation flap can return to the fold with their 2002 data disks.
TurboTax 2003 Premier includes one free state income tax form.
Also boxed with Premier is a new Intuit acquisition, the highly regarded It’s Deductible program, which gives users accurate and, probably, acceptable valuations of any goods or services a tax filer wants to claim for deductions.
The data is based on surveys of second-hand dealers and appraisers, and this year for the first time data is compiled based on what stuff brings in on eBay’s auction site.
As another bonus, 2003 TurboTax compares past year’s filings with 2003’s to optimize benefits from the new federal income tax cuts.
And speaking of tax cuts. …
H&R BLOCK
A TaxCut above last year’s model
TaxCut 2003 emphasizes at every turn that it comes from H&R Block, the world’s largest company that employs living, breathing people to prepare taxes.
New this year is H&R Block Plain Talk Tax Tips–interactive interviews that focus on more complicated issues. Also, the product prints out a personalized report on the impact of new laws on an individual’s taxes and includes tips to maximize benefits.
For an extra $19.95, buyers of the $39.95 TaxCut Premium (www.taxcut.com) also can buy telephone advice from H&R Block’s human bean counters.
MICROSOFT
Google lookalike a test in sharing
With rumors swirling about possible alliances between the globe-gobbling Google search engine and Microsoft’s lesser MSN search software, a new and very Google-like product is up for beta testing from Microsoft.
At http://toolbar.msn.com, testers can download an MSN Toolbar that looks very much like the splendid Google Toolbar that is available at http://toolbar.google.com. Both appear at the top of the Internet Explorer window to accept search terms and come with pop-up blockers, simulated Magic Marker highlighters to show search words in each downloaded page and other similarities.
As always with Microsoft, one wonders whether the shared code means there is a marriage or lawsuit brewing.
