M&P chief Scudder tells WebCPA: “We’ve always had the right to walk away.”
“We are disappointed that H&R Block has chosen to pursue litigation,†McGladrey & Pullen managing partner Dave Scudder tells WebCPA. “Under the terms of our shared services agreement, we have every right to terminate that arrangement.â€
Earlier:
More from Scudder at WebCPA:
“We’ve always been an independent firm, and there’s no reason we wouldn’t retain those rights going forward.â€
“Times are very different from 1999 when we entered into this arrangement to outsource some of the administrative services to them,†he said. He described the decision as a “combination of economic conditions and the overall cost benefits of that agreement, combined with what we think is the opportunity and what’s going on in the marketplace right now.â€
“Certainly [it’s] a much more complicated time for our clients, a highly regulated, complex environment for CPAs, and the structure and the services agreement that we have does cause some complexity,†he added. “So when you look at it as a combination, it’s a very simple business decision about looking forward and serving our clients.â€