News Release
May 6, 2002 - Columbus, Ohio
- 'Paperless' Tax Filing Attracts Savings and
Taxpayers
COLUMBUS – Ohio’s push for a ‘paperless’
income tax filing system is paying off for state taxpayers.
Tax Commissioner Thomas M. Zaino says Ohio taxpayers saved
more than one million dollars this year with electronic
filing of tax returns. He said an increasingly automated
system will provide even greater savings in years to come.
"We’ll never totally get rid of paper, but clearly people are
recognizing the advantages of filing their tax return
electronically. "Zaino made his comments after reviewing
results of the latest income tax filing season. They show
that almost 37 percent of the 5.4 million returns filed this
year were ‘paperless,’ meaning they were transmitted via
computer or by telephone. The estimated savings in tax dollars
comes from the lower cost of processing a paperless return.
The cost of processing a paper return is 70 cents to $1.25,
depending on the type of return. That compares to an average
of 35 cents to process a paperless return. Zaino said the
number of paperless returns this year went up nearly 25
percent from last year to about two million. E-File returns
totaled nearly 1.4 million; TeleFile returns, those filed by
telephone, topped 620,000.Nationally, paperless returns
increased 16 percent. TeleFile returns actually declined
slightly across the country, but in Ohio, they were up nearly
33 percent Zaino attributed the rise in paperless filing to
several factors:
- The incentives offered only with paperless filing, like
quicker refunds and direct deposit of refunds.
- The increase in potential Tele Filers. Ohio expanded the
TeleFile program making it available to more Ohioans than
ever before.
- The promotion of paperless filing by tax practitioners in
Ohio.
"I also think people are just becoming more comfortable with
electronic filing," Zaino said. He said other steps are being
taken right now to further automate tax collections in Ohio,
including the development and implementation of the Ohio
Business Gateway. It allows businesses to file and pay many
of their state taxes "on line."
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(For more information, contact Gary Gudmundson, ODT
Communications Director, at (614) 644-6903.)