I believe in thinking about taxes over the long run. Why save $100 now only to have a larger tax bill in future years? I will explore and explain your options to you, and help you decide what you would prefer to do - so you can make decisions knowing what the implications are, this year and in future years. And, if I believe there are savings to be had, I will often suggest a review of your previous one or two years of taxes.
Clients usually choose to continue to work with me year after year once they get started. And if you are someone who has not done your taxes, or HST/GST returns, for several years, don't worry, I have amended previously filed taxes and then completed and filed returns for as many as 5 years. For some clients, I can recover taxes they have paid in the past (most recently, more than $2,000 for one client). I can often negotiate with Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) to have penalties and interest waived, and I can sometimes help clients actually receive money as a result of their tax return, rather than pay anything! Whatever the case, I help clients get more organized and make things easier and faster for them ... and most of them even enjoy the process each year! Or at least parts of it.
H&R Block is perfect for some people. If you choose to explore having me work with you re: your taxes and I think someone else, like H&R Block, would be better for you, or that you could do your own taxes easily with some software or just a bit of advice, I'll tell you. More importantly, H&R Block's Maximum Refund Guarantee is not necessarily good for clients. Often, a small reduction in a refund in one year can net bigger savings in another, so I believe that tax payments and refunds need to be looked at over a number of years before you make decisions about how to proceed. And if you choose to maximize your refund in a particular year, with me at least you'll know what the implications of that choice are.