You need to stop considering Intuit as a vendor and seeing them for what they are, a customer.   They buy from IRS one of the coveted permits to access the mainframe, by agreeing to jump through all the hoops that are  established to keep out the riff-raff.  That access comes with a cost, which has to be passed along to software users.  But it also creates a franchise, which adds value because it keeps out competitors.  Franchises can demand a premium.  You're not going to find one that doesn't.