Tax Dad and Lap DogUsually, our staff Certified Tax Cat handles questions about taxes, but he got into some really bad ‘nip and is taking the year off. Filling in for him is Laura’s dad, a retired accountant and real live independent tax preparer. Exclusively on Consumerist, Tax Dad answers your questions. One thing that many different readers had to ask tax Dad is whether they need to hire a tax preparer, and how they should find one if they need one. Take it away, Tax Dad… For most people, with all or most of their earnings on a W-2 or in bank interest (remember bank interest), the income tax is fairly simple, and does not require a professional.