THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, March 17, 1995 TAG: 9503170506
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: D1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Daily Digest
LENGTH: Short : 32 lines
Virginia Beach-based Jackson Hewitt Tax Services and and two other tax preparation companies were charged Thursday by the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs with deceptive advertising and misleading the public about their electronic filing and rapid refund services.
In each case, the city agency charged in a complaint, the companies had misled customers about their fees. In addition to Jackson Hewitt, the complaint named H&R Block, the nation's largest tax preparer, and the Tax Preparation Network, based in Manhattan.
All three companies were ordered to appear at a hearing Tuesday before the department, and they could be assessed fines, said Richard Loconte, a department spokesman.
H&R Block has already paid $80,000 in fines to the city for similar violations since 1990, he said, and the fines resulting from Thursday's complaint could exceed that amount.
Martha O'Gorman, a spokeswoman for Jackson Hewitt Tax Services, said the company was confident it was following guidelines issued by the IRS in its New York City operations. (The New York Times) by CNB