I've been a long time user of Intuit's TurboTax (formerly MacInTax). 2 years ago I paid a tax consultant a lot of money to have them save me no more than TurboTax would have, therefore I love it even more. I have a lot of tax "situations" that require I use all kinds of funky forms but TurboTax makes it easy for me to understand the various options.

I'm aware that Intuit has been blasted for their policies. I can't disagree with those criticisms, but there's really isn't any decent competition. Nothing beets Quicken on the Mac. H&R Blocks Tax Cut makes a good attempt with their tax software but it's still not quite there.

You can get a pretty good price if you order via Amazon, where I just did. Here's the differences between the various flavors of TurboTax.

TurboTax Premier 2004 Win/Mac ($69.95 - $20 mail in rebate) - It includes everything in Basic, plus extra tools and tips for maximizing tax savings, including investments, Schedule C business taxes, 401(k) plans, and rental property.

TurboTax Deluxe 2004 Win/Mac ($39.95 - $10 mail in rebate) - Basic gives you the extra guidance you need to claim more deductions ? and reduce your risk of an audit.

TurboTax Basic 2004 Win/Mac ($19.95) - 1040EZ.

If your just filing the 1040EZ, you can likely skip the $20 software and file for free. But if you need to fill out the long form the software is worth the investment, and you can write it off for the next years tax return. Also check out Yahoo's Tax site for some other alternatives.