Tax return costs

On my way home from work today, I saw that H&R Block will fill out your 1040EZ for "just" $39. My first reaction was a sort of confused disbelief: I was able to use a 1040EZ a few times and it was really, really easy. It's basically one side of one page, just thirteen lines. You add some things, then you add some other things, then you look up a number in a table, then you subtract once.

So what's that $39 for? You'd need to look up and write down most of the same numbers on some sort of form to give to the folks at H&R Block so they'd know what to fill out for you. Is the going rate for addition and subtraction really that high? It's entirely possible that yes, it is, and I'm just way too far removed from average people to understand how intimidating math can be to them. But this math is so basic that this would really disturb me: this feels like the mathematical equivalent of paying somebody $39 to read the Denny's menu out loud for you. If that's not it, maybr people treat it as insurance, to have help in case of an audit... but what fraction of 1040EZs get audited?

I know there are some accounting folks out there, and presumably lots of people who've had more experience using accountants than I have. Do you have a sense of what the real answer is?

[Possible subtext for all of this: Kim and I have just changed jobs, moved across the country, and bought a house. We've always done our own taxes, and Kim's very thorough about checking the details and actually seems to enjoy the process at least a little. Is there any compelling reason to pay a professional help out this time?]