Adventures in Taxland, Part IV

A few weeks back, at the start of tax season, I caught one of Turbo Tax’s television spots. This is the ad campaign that pokes fun at tax preparers who do taxes part time, and work other day jobs. The one that has been running most often features a husband coming home from the office, wearing a coat and tie. He walks into the kitchen to see that his wife has called in a plumber to fix the kitchen sink. The plumber pulls himself out from underneath the sink, and as he wipes muck off his hands, greets the husband by name. “Don’t you remember me?” asks the plumber. “I did your taxes.”


These ads are devastatingly effective. The first time I saw one, I thought to myself “Boy, who would use a plumber to do their taxes. You’d have to be an idiot to do that.” Then I realized that the ad was targeting my clients. I am a part timer who works for H & R Block on the side, and I was sucked in. Like I said, devastatingly effective.

The ad was targeting all users of office based tax preparation services. The message was that if you use Turbo Tax at home and have a question, you can call in and get answers from CPA’s and Enrolled Agents, licensed professionals in taxation. Go to a service like H & R Block, and you get a plumber.

What the ad doesn’t mention is that Turbo Tax is software that you use at home. You only get to talk to one of their professionals if you call in with a question. One of the advantages of coming in to a tax office to get your taxes done is the interaction with between you and the person doing your taxes. You may think you know your own tax situation, but someone with training and experience can guide you into areas of the tax code you didn’t even know about, to your benefit. The interaction should be less you asking questions of the expert, and more the expert asking questions of you.

Another problem I have with the ads is that I actually might qualify to meet Turbo Tax’s standards. After all, I have both an MBA and a Master’s degree in Accounting. But I will confess, I go to more experienced tax preparers for guidance on a regular basis. Some of the “part timers” I work with have decades of experience, and have handled thousands of tax returns. The least experienced person working in an H &R Block office takes 70 classroom hours of instruction before seeing their first client, and you are required to get continuing education every year to maintain your status.

So go ahead, trust that plumber to do your taxes. Now, trusting a marketing guy to unplug your drain? That’s a different story.