TaxCut for Macintosh No More

TurboTax is available on cd and on the web (TurboTax online) for Mac Users! Also, TurboTax will be on exhibit in January's MacWorld Conference (January 10-13th) in San Francisco. If you'd like to learn more about this product, stop by the booth and meet with the TurboTax exhibit team.

TurboTax is available on cd and on the web (TurboTax online) for Mac Users! Also, TurboTax will be on exhibit in January's MacWorld Conference (January 10-13th) in San Francisco. If you'd like to learn more about this product, stop by the booth and meet with the TurboTax exhibit team.

Here's my beef: I've been using TaxCut for the past three years. All my business data (particularly equipment depreciation) is in there. I can't move it to another program, per this e-mail from Intuit: "Thank you for contacting Intuit Tax Products Customer Service & Support. Unfortunately the makers of TaxCut have encrypted their data and do not wish for us to be able to transfer their data into our program. We are unable to import from their saved file anymore. " To say I'm pissed is to put it lightly. If the program is no longer being made available for the Mac, why do they need to lock down the data? Bastids.

For those, like Jeremy and Joshua, concerned to find a workable personal finance solution, can I please put in a plug for Moneydance (www.moneydance.com). My experience is that it's powerful enough for my needs, easy to use and cross-platform (Linux, Mac, WIndows), being java-based. I love it!

The past couple of years, I've used the Web-based version of TaxACT with good results, especially considering that the first year I used it, I had he most complicated return of my life. That year, the federal return was free and the state return cost me a whopping $8.00. Last year, the cost was $15.00 for both returns. That's an incredible bargain, considering the one year I had a professional preparer do it, they charged me over $130!

I sent them a letter pointing out that the Macintosh user base is *growing* and I received this reply: "H&R Block has discontinued its TaxCut for Macintosh software this year. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts to invest and enhance our Macintosh products over the past several years, customer demand has continued to decline. Due to poor sales we've decided to discontinue Macintosh development for this year. We will continue to evaluate the market viability for Macintosh based products in the future."

I've used both TaxCut and TurboTax boxed versions, but for the last couple of years I've been using and recommending web-based tools. I don't think we are seeing a simple drop of Mac support, this is the beginning of the end for the boxed products. Why pay $30-$50 for a boxed product when you can use a web-based equivalent for free? Yes, free - just start at the IRS web site to get the free offers. Even if you choose to pay, the web versions typically cost about half. And while 2003 was a nightmare of browser compatibility problems, 2004 was a smooth experience. On the business side, why make and ship two different products when you can put one on the web that works on all platforms, incidentally reducing support costs (no updates to package and deliver)? Give it another couple of years, but the Windows version is going too.

This is probably off topic, but I would like to share with you the response I got from MYOB's sales rep after enquiring about the Mac version of their product - -------------------------------------------------- My email to Steve Dobosh: Hi Steve, I'm interested in buying MYOB for mac, and I'll probably need more than a couple of copies. I know that MYOB Hong Kong does not carry Mac version, could you please let me know how I can buy the software for use in Hong Kong? Many thanks ! Shirley -------------------------------------------------- His email to me: We do not sell a mac version for Hong Kong. -------------------------------------------------- That's it. No "Hi Shirley" nor "Thanks, Steve". Maybe he's just too busy to write a better response.

I too tried TaxCut for the 2002 tax year, when they were half the price of the inflating and 'diversifying' TurboTax, yet promised to import 2001 year TT data. That turned out to be a huge mistake. I came to the conclusion that TaxCut was a subversive advertisement for HR Block offices, because many people would likely get so frustrated and desperate, they'd end up having to turn it all over to a human as April 15 approaches. My review is still up on Amazon (Good, Bad, Ugly, Fugly). I had wished that it could act as a warning to subsequent years' versions, but I guess that's all good now. Not that TurboTax isn't going down the toilet either, but it's a slower flush.

Jeremy, agreed. Quicken itself has been lagging on the Mac for years, and its something that every new Mac owner has to experience, since it's bundled with all new machines (at least consumer ones). Intuit has been sitting on unfixed bugs for going on a decade now. While Apple can only spread itself so thin, I'd love to see an Apple-made finance solution.