The tax prep industry DEFINITELY has a vested interest in keeping the IRS from being more efficient in how it handles the returns for the general public. They are complicit in the US not having a more simplified filing system. That's a fact.
Intuit
received millions in tax breaks as part of a deal with the IRS to provide free tax filing. In return for the
free filing, the IRS not only gave out these tax breaks to companies like Intuit, but it also did not develop its own online tax filing system.
Intuit, however, has been caught
steering filers toward paid services, even if they were eligible for free filing. Intuit
actively participated in FUD in an effort to stop the IRS from creating a free online filing system. It is clear Intuit did this to keep on sucking on the government teats as long as possible. Intuit and other tax filing companies spend millions of dollars in lobbying money. Something you don't do if it doesn't benefit you in the long run.
Intuit has now decided to no longer participate in the IRS free tax filing program, probably due to the investigations by the FTC. The IRS Is also trialing its own online filing system.
The tax prep industry isn't the only party that wants to keep the tax laws convoluted. This benefits high wage earners and corporations. The more convoluted the laws are, the more likely there is some sort of tax loophole that can be exploited by a very few select individuals.