District of Columbia Office of Tax and Revenue Introduces Online Individual Income Tax Filing for 2002 Tax Season
With Accenture’s Assistance, District Becomes First U.S. City to Offer Comprehensive Online Tax Services to Citizens and Businesses
WASHINGTON, D.C.; Jan. 14, 2002 – This tax-filing season, District of Columbia citizens will be able to use the Internet to file their city taxes without going through a third-party e-filer, making the process quicker, easier and more efficient. This online tax-filing solution, called the eTaxpayer Service Center, is free of charge to taxpayers and will be available by the end of January to any resident who filed District taxes in 2001.
“The Office of Tax and Revenue and Accenture are responding to the needs of District taxpayers with innovative services,” said Herbert Huff, deputy chief financial officer of the Office of Tax and Revenue. “As the first U.S. city to offer individuals and businesses real-time access to a full set of tax services 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the District is leading the way toward providing a customer-focused, user-friendly tax system.”
The individual income tax filing system guides a taxpayer through the tax return preparation process with a series of questions, automatically completing their tax form in the background. Once the process is completed, individual taxpayers can receive their refund via check or direct deposit. If money is owed, the taxpayer can pay online using a credit card or alternately mail their check to the Office of Tax and Revenue.
Once the return is submitted, the taxpayer receives a confirmation number as proof of filing, and a copy of the return can be downloaded and printed for their records. This online system speeds up the return process for citizens by automatically calculating taxes owed or overpaid, eliminating errors and delivering the return instantly to the Office of Tax and Revenue.
The eTaxpayer Service Center also incorporates enhanced customer service features that give taxpayers the information they need to answer their own questions. An upcoming phase of the project will feature a vRep, or virtual customer service representative, which is a pop-up icon that will answer users’ questions and guide taxpayers through the site. Taxpayers also will be able to check the status of refunds from the site, reducing the volume of calls to the Office of Tax and Revenue.
“This Web site offers a window to the future of eRevenue,” said Tim Finnegan, an Accenture partner. “We’re pleased to team with the Office of Tax and Revenue to deliver this innovative, customer-service-driven, web-based solution. It will help the Office provide faster, more efficient, more responsive service to District citizens.”
The eTaxpayer Service Center was first launched in February 2001, providing businesses in the District with online tax-filing and account management services. Businesses can use the system to file sales and use and employer withholding taxes, and pay corporate franchise and unincorporated franchise estimated taxes. A new feature allows new businesses to register with the Office of Tax and Revenue online. In addition, businesses can view their account history, determine any amounts owed and pay them online. To date, the system has registered more than 275 District businesses and processed more than $11 million in taxes.
About Accenture
Accenture is the world’s leading management consulting and technology services organization. Through its network of businesses approach — in which the company enhances its consulting and outsourcing expertise through alliances, affiliated companies and other capabilities — Accenture delivers innovations that help clients across all industries quickly realize their visions. With more than 75,000 people in 47 countries, the company generated net revenues of $11.44 billion for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2001. Its home page is www.accenture.com.
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Jaleh Allameh
+1 (703) 947-3450