TurboTax maker Intuit barred from advertising ‘free’ tax services without disclosing who’s eligible

By WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS
AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. regulators have barred TurboTax maker Intuit Inc. from advertising its services as “free” unless they are free for all customers, or if eligibility is clearly disclosed. In an opinion and final order, the Federal Trade Commission ruled that Intuit engaged in deceptive practices by running ads claiming consumers could file their taxes for free using TurboTax — when in fact many taxpayers did not qualify for such free offerings. In addition to prohibiting Intuit from marketing its products or services as free unless there’s actually no cost for everyone, the FTC said Intuit must disclose what percentage of consumers are eligible and note if a majority of taxpayers do not qualify. Inuit said it had appealed the decision, which it called deeply flawed.