H&R Block, Intuit tumble as IRS prepares free direct file system

Shares of the largest tax-prep services in the U.S., Intuit (NASDAQ:) and H&R Block (NYSE:), were hammered Monday morning, falling 5% and 9%, respectively. Weakness followed a report from the Wall Street Journal that said the IRS is considering creating a free government-run tax preparation service.

The IRS is set to release a report this week on a possible Direct File system, and the Biden administration will decide whether to pursue it. The system was compared to Intuit’s TurboTax but would be on the agency’s website.

Democrats and some consumer advocates have been pushing for the free online tax filing option through the IRS and would consider steps to create one a major win.

Companies, meanwhile, have been fighting back through increased lobbying efforts. They claim that free services are already available. They also warned changes could eventually lead to a more intrusive IRS with access to additional information from private companies and citizens.