Monday, 14 January 2008 00:14
Taxes Made Easy?
Taxpayer advocacy groups
are criticizing the State’s offer to assist with tax return preparation for tax
year 2007. The California Franchise Tax Board announced has expanded customer
service including, for
the second year, the ReadyReturn program. ReadyReturn provides a pre-filled
state tax return service available to qualified taxpayers. Taxpayers who
file as single with no
dependents, earn wages from only one employer and take standard deductions, are
eligible to have their tax return completed by the state. The online
service allows taxpayers to check eligibility, review the pre-completed return,
make necessary changes, select how to receive a refund or make a payment
automatically, and receive an instant confirmation of the completed return.
California is the only
state to offer this kind of service. This program was offered in 2007 as a
pilot program, and continuing it in 2008 has taxpayer advocacy groups asking
whether the agency charged with collecting taxes also be acting as the tax
preparer? Members of the California Taxpayers’ Association and the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association are
concerned and hope that taxpayers won’t get burned by the process. They
feel this service is a conflict of interest on the part of the Franchise Tax
Board. If you’d like to give ReadyReturn a try, check it out on the Franchise
Tax Board’s website. If you don’t have Internet access, you can have a copy of
the pre-filled form mailed to you for your review and completion. Using this
service does not waive any fees or penalties for delinquent filings, and you
are not off the hook for
fines that could be assessed if the agency makes a mistake. For further
information, go online at www.ftb.ca.gov, or call 1-800-338-0305.
