Pa. Unveils Online Tax Filing Site

By William Welsh, Staff Writer


AUG. 17 ? Pennsylvania officials announced Aug. 16 that businesses in the state can now file their state tax return and make payments online.


This and other business tax filing is done through state-run Electronic Tax Information & Data Exchange System Web site (www.etides.state.pa.us). The site was activated July 5, with the first service available to businesses through the site is the filing of sales and use tax and employee withholding.


The software that drives the online filing for businesses was developed by the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue, said Wendi Taylor, a department spokeswoman.


The department introduced online business registration in September 1999. Already, one-third of all business registration is now handled online, according to the Department of Revenue.


"e-TIDES was the natural next step to online registration," said Pennsylvania Secretary of Revenue Robert Judge. "There are many advantages to using the e-TIDES system. The information you send us is encrypted to protect confidentiality, plus the system will edit out common mistakes, such as math errors."


Pennsylvania residents already can file their state personal income tax returns online through pa.direct.file. The personal income tax solution was developed by GovConnect.com of Cincinnati.


Pa.direct.file completes all math calculations on the schedules and tax returns, eliminating errors that can delay refunds. The service is available to the state's 3.5 million taxpayers.


Pennsylvania's Department of Revenue collected approximately $20.2 billion for the state's general fund in fiscal 1999-2000, according to the department.