Tax Preparers Encouraged To Take Up IRS's Electronic Services

by Mike Godfrey, Tax-News.com, Washington

16 July 2004

In an effort to encourage more tax professionals to file their returns online, the Internal Revenue Service has expanded its web-based facilities for tax preparers.

Part of its drive to modernize tax administration, the IRS’s new electronic services offer secure internet connections for professional tax preparers to register and apply for preparer tax identification numbers. In addition, the facilities allow resolution of taxpayer account problems and other administrative procedures.

Paul Cofoni, president of the federal sector group at Computer Sciences Corp, comments that the electronic services will improve IRS efficiency by reducing the burden of paperwork, and as a consequence, "will vastly improve the accuracy and speed of the IRS responses to more than a billion queries and transactions each year."

IRS figures released ahead of the April 15 tax filing deadline revealed that more than 45.8 million tax returns were submitted through the e-file interface, a 12% increase on the previous year.

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