Turbotax vs. CPA ??

This is probably the biggest dilemma for 95% of Americans. Plus it happens at a very specific time of the year. Take a look at :

http://www.google.com/trends?q=turbotax&ctab=0&geo=all&date=all&sort=0

If thats not a periodic graph, I dont know what is !

Turbotax costs about $50 for everyone except business owners. CPA at a minimum will set you back by $100. Hence the incentive to know the answer to this question. The answer is ...

IT DEPENDS !

Well, I believe for everyone who does not have their own business, having a CPA holds little value other than for liability purposes. I.e. they will take the fall, if you get audited and the taxes are wrong.

For everyone else, Turbotax and other tax prep software does a great job in minimizing your taxes by providing for all types of deductions.