John Hewitt

John T. Hewitt (born 1949) is an American businessman who is the co-founder of Jackson Hewitt, founder of Liberty Tax Service, and CEO of ATAX. Between 1998 and 2017, Hewitt was CEO, chairman and president of Liberty Tax. Hewitt was a pioneer in the development and use of specialized tax-preparation software, which became the industry's standard practice.

Early life and education Hewitt is a native of Detroit, Michigan. His parents moved to Greece, New York when he was four, and then to Hamburg, New York when he was 14. He graduated from Hamburg High School prior to enrolling at the University at Buffalo.

Hewitt perceived a need for technological innovation within the tax industry and he left H&R Block in order to pursue that opportunity. Working alongside his father, he pioneered the development of decision-tree tax-preparation software. H&R Block was uninterested in the software, leading Hewitt to found a tax-preparation service that would exploit the efficiency of electronic tax preparation. In 1998, the company was renamed Liberty Tax Service and expanded its operations in to the United States.

Hewitt was terminated as CEO in September of 2017. Liberty Tax had reported poor financial performance and was forced to close down dozens of its offices due to allegations of tax fraud. An investigation by New York-based law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom led to a lawsuit which alleged that he had sex in his office with numerous employees and hired relatives of female employees with whom he had had romantic relationships. The lawsuit was settled with no findings of wrongdoing on Hewitt's part.

During Hewitt's tenure at Liberty Tax Service, he wrote and published the book iCompete: How My Extraordinary Strategy for Winning Can Be Yours (2016, ) through Post Hill Press's Savio Republic imprint.

Loyalty Brands John Hewitt founded Loyalty Brands in 2018. This is an umbrella franchise company that manages twelve brands. Loyalty Brands manages operational and sales aspects for the brands. Some of the brands are wholly owned by Loyalty Brands, including ATAX Tax Service, Ledgers Accounting, Little Medical School, Zoomin Groomin Mobile Pet Spa, and Loyalty Business Brokers.

In 2020, Liberty Tax sued Hewitt claiming that Loyalty Brands was competing against Liberty Tax using confidential and proprietary information acquired during his time leading Liberty.

Recognition International Franchise Association Entrepreneur of the Year (2005) Accounting Today Top 100 Most Influential People (2006) Ernst & Young Virginia Entrepreneur of the Year (2003)