Today I testified in support of legislation by Senator Tom Harman that would direct California’s three tax agencies to work toward the goal of consolidating tax self-services into a single taxpayer-friendly website.

These difficult economic times highlight the need for government to eliminate bureaucratic red-tape that entangles businesses. Many California businesses have to file and pay taxes to three separate agencies, and taxpayers are often confused as to which agency is responsible for a particular tax: BOE, EDD or FTB.

SB 1326 would streamline this process. Under the bill’s provisions, the website www.taxes.ca.gov would be enhanced to allow taxpayers to file tax returns, claim refunds, and request for relief of interest or penalties with one login.

Taxpayers would no longer need to navigate through three separate tax agencies to access forms and information, saving taxpayers time and increasing voluntary compliance.

Just as online banking has provided individuals and businesses with easier access to banking account information and services, a single website will make voluntary compliance with tax programs simpler.

Senate Bill 1326 received the unanimous support of the Senate Governance and Finance Committee and now moves to the Senate Appropriations Committee for further consideration.

Note: Watch a video excerpt of my testimony at youtube.com/sengeorgerunner.

Tags: Board of Equalization, BOE, businesses, EDD, FTB, legislation, streamline, taxpayers, Tom Harman, website

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 11th, 2012 at 12:11 pm and is filed under Blog Posts.