No, I'm serious!
Like so many British Columbians I have this love/hate relationship with government, did I say love? No, that is not right, let's make that tolerate/hate relationship. Of all the things our government does, the thing I tolerate the most is the direction our government is taking in online services and e-government.
The government is like any other organization, it needs to embrace technological change and use it to be more competitive, or efficient.
Our federal government has wisely invested huge resources and effort into online services, and nowhere is that more evident than at the Canada Revenue Agency website (www.cra-arc.gc.ca) and for most of us, it is most relevant at this time of year, tax time.
There are few win-win situations to compare with the advent of online tax filing.
Online filing works hand in hand with both dedicated and online tax preparation software. The CRA has a list of certified applications you can use (www.netfile.gc.ca/sftwr-eng.html).
I really prefer the online version of these tax preparation solutions. With most of them you can begin to prepare your taxes for free, you don't actually pay for the service until you file your return. You can start on your return at your leisure, as you hit roadblocks, get bored or need to find more information, you can save your progress and return to complete the return when you are ready.
One of the best features they all incorporate is pretty useful and intelligent online support and error checking.
There is no comparison between filling out your forms the old fashioned way, and online. I would estimate it will take less than 25 per cent of the time to complete the return. It is far less frustrating and I believe most returns are more accurate.
But the biggest reasons to use online tax preparation is the economy of scale. Because the government has invested so much to create this robust and efficient online system, if you choose to use it you make the country work more effectually. It takes a fraction of the time to process on online return, as all information does not have to be re-entered into the system, and time is money, meaning there are huge, and I do mean huge, cost savings when we use the online option.
There is of course the additional bonus, if you are entitled to a refund it is issued much faster. While you are at it, if you register for the online banking direct deposit option, you again save yourself time, as the funds will be deposited directly into your account, and, again, the government saves a substantial amount as they don't have to prepare, issue and deliver cheques.
If you join the millions of Canadians currently filing their taxes online you become a part of the solution. There are few enough opportunities we have that benefit both ourselves and our country, believe it or not, choosing to file your taxes online is one of those opportunities.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Steve Dotto
Quelle/Source: North Shore News, 10.03.2010
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