BOSTON — The Department of Justice is trying to halt H&R Block’s plans to acquire the creator of TaxACT software, saying the deal would leave just two major competitors in the do-it-yourself tax- preparation market. The agency on Monday filed an antitrust lawsuit arguing that the transaction would eliminate a strong rival of H&R Block and Intuit, maker of such programs as Quicken and TurboTax. Regulators say those two companies and TaxACT account for 90 percent of tax-preparation software sales, with H&R Block and TaxACT second and third behind Intuit. H&R Block announced plans in October to pay $287.5 million in cash to acquire 2SS Holdings, parent of 2nd Story Software, the privately held company that created TaxACT. The Associated Press; AP file photo
