E-filing: truth or promises? (Economic Observer).(Internal Revenue Service benefits from electronic filing of income tax returns)

Publication: USA Today (Magazine)

Publication Date: 01-JAN-03

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COPYRIGHT 2003 Society for the Advancement of Education

THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE really wants you to file tax returns electronically. Its goal is to have 80% of all returns filed electronically by 2007. The IRS promises quicker refunds than if you file by mail. Mailed returns face the bioterrorism threat of anthrax contamination. The IRS has responded by having mailed returns processed at off-site facilities. That adds to the delay in getting you a check. Combine electronic filing with direct deposit, and you could have your refund in your bank account by the next day. Or, you could be subject to an audit by the IRS Criminal Investigation Division!

All that glitters is not gold. John G. Ams, executive vice president of the National Society of Accountants (NSA), has charged that some "delays in refunds on electronically filed returns ... stretch far beyond" the dates indicated by the IRS. NSA...

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