Gov.
Blagojevich Encourages Illinoisans to Go Green,
File Taxes Electronically
Illinois
Department of Revenue Says Filing Electronically Saves Paper,
Increases Processing Efficiencies
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[April 03, 2008]
CHICAGO -- In the final weeks of
tax season, Gov. Blagojevich encourages Illinois taxpayers to "go
green" and file their taxes electronically. When taxpayers file
their taxes electronically, the Department of Revenue sees a
reduction in paper use throughout the tax process -- from the
printing of fewer tax booklets to receiving fewer forms in the mail
from taxpayers. By saving paper, taxpayers help reduce the amount of
trash going into landfills and also reduce energy use and pollution
associated with manufacturing, transporting and recycling new paper
products.
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To help illustrate this point, if the 2.7 million electronic
IL-1040s that the department received last year were paper IL-1040s
stacked one on top of each other, they would reach a height of over
369 feet, or one-fourth of the height of the Empire State Building.
Additionally, if these electronic IL-1040s were paper IL-1040s and
put end to end, they would start at Springfield and end up just
outside of San Diego, Calif. "Most Illinoisans aren't necessarily
thinking about the environment when they file their taxes," said
Blagojevich. "Every year more Illinoisans file electronically
because it is faster and easier. But today we encourage Illinoisans,
as they consider their deductions, to go green and file
electronically."
In Springfield, Department of Revenue Director Hamer took
reporters on a tour of the Willard Ice Building to illustrate how
much paper was saved when Illinois taxpayers chose e-filing.
Hamer highlighted the department's paper and mail handling
operation, which takes in millions of tax forms each year. The
department also sent out about 1.9 million tax booklets to
Illinoisans this year, down from past years because more and more
filers are filing electronically.
The Illinois Department of Revenue projects that for the first
time ever, more filers will chose to file electronically than file
by paper. In addition to making the filing process faster and more
convenient for taxpayers, the e-filing option provides a significant
cost savings to the state. Since the beginning of the 2008 tax
season, electronic filers have saved the state $2.4 million in paper
processing costs and postage.
The Department of Revenue has also made strides in electronic
filing methods offered to businesses, which are on track to increase
electronic filing by 55.4 percent, or around 550,000 returns.
Electronic filing programs offered by the department are on target
to receive a combined total of 4.8 million returns and applications
this fiscal year. Beginning in fiscal 2008, electronic filing
offerings were expanded to include additional excise tax
applications.
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The Illinois Department of Revenue has enjoyed a consistent increase
in electronic filers since the program began in 1991. So far this
year, more than 2 million returns have been filed electronically,
which is a 15 percent increase over this time last year. Over 1.1
million taxpayers have taken advantage of the direct deposit option,
an increase of over 19 percent from this time last year. IDOR
continues to encourage taxpayers to file electronically at
www.tax.illinois.gov or
ask about e-filing when they visit their tax preparer.
"This year we have identified yet another reason Illinois
taxpayers should take advantage of filing their Illinois taxes
electronically. It cuts down on a mountain of paper," said Hamer.
"For those last-minute filers who have yet to file -- we encourage
you to go green and file electronically."
"With only two weeks remaining before the tax filing deadline,
we're encouraging taxpayers to e-file their tax returns," said Otis
Damron, IRS outreach manager for Illinois. "E-filing offers many
benefits including faster refunds, more accurate returns and
paperless return filing. For those with adjusted gross incomes of
$54,000 or less, free federal tax return preparation and e-filing is
available through the IRS Free File program. Free File is available
on the IRS Web site at IRS.gov."
Nearly all Illinois taxpayers can file for free at
www.tax.illinois.gov, and
many can also file their federal taxes online at
www.irs.gov.
[Text from file received from
the
Illinois Office of
Communication and Information] |