H&R Block spent $400,000 in 1st quarter to lobby federal government on tax and finance reform

H&R Block spent $400,000 lobbying in 1st quarter

NEW YORK — H&R Block Inc. spent $400,000 in the first quarter to lobby the federal government on financial regulatory reform and tax issues, according to a disclosure report.

That’s a 21 percent jump from the $330,000 the tax preparation company spent in the year-ago period, but is 20 percent less than the $500,000 it spent in the fourth quarter of 2009.

The Kansas City, Mo., company lobbied the federal government on legislation involving Wall Street reform, the creation of a consumer financial protection agency, tax preparer regulation and tax simplification, according to the report filed on April 20.

In the January-to-March period, H&R Block lobbied members of Congress, the Internal Revenue Service, the Treasury Department and Securities and Exchange Commission, according to the report filed with the House clerk’s office.