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Just as the online tax filing companies have their IRS-sponsored
Free File Alliance, our company, 800-TAX REFUND, Inc., recognizes a
need for the rest of the tax industry to offer taxpayers a more
sensible approach to online filing.
The prevailing marketing strategy of today's online filing
companies tends to appeal to the consumer's desire for instant
gratification, derived from the convenience and cost savings offered
through online filing, without considering the
potential downstream costs of taxpayer-initiated errors or
omissions. Also prevalent in this
strategy is a 'more forms are better' mindset
among online filing companies, which, as any tax professional would
agree, merely serves to put the 'do-it-yourself' taxpayer at increased risk of error or
audit due to those forms' complexities.
Our opposing marketing strategy, developed since 1990 while preparing and processing tax returns for taxpayers,
practitioners, and financial institutions, is based on the premise
that taxpayers will ultimately realize better value for their dollar
by using sound and consistent professional tax services.
One needs only to compare the key promotional messages of two online filing companies
to understand these opposing
strategies:
In a TurboTax television commercial aired this past tax season, when a TV wife expressed concern that she likes
to have her tax return professionally reviewed, her husband
replied
"But TurboTax checks everything for you!"
800-TAX REFUND, Inc., on the other hand, was the only online filing company promoted on IRS's web site this past tax season that asked
taxpayers..."Is Online Filing Right For You?"
We pose that question to taxpayers because, like many of our readers, we are first and foremost a tax preparation firm. We understand that taxpayers will realize better value for their dollar by
having their taxes professionally prepared, reviewed, and/or filed. We
added an online filing option for taxpayers five years ago and discovered
it to be a viable
mechanism to steer future tax clients toward our professional
services. In other words, online filing is used to help our company establish a
relationship with the taxpayer. This is what we hope the Online
Filing Cooperative (OLFC) will do for your organization.
Practitioners -
How can online filing and, more specifically, the OLFC steer
future tax clients toward your professional tax services?
Financial Institutions - How can online filing and the OLFC help establish and/or
strengthen relationships with depositers?
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© 2010 800-TAX REFUND, Inc.
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