E-File Usage In CT Is Growing

HARTFORD — The Internal Revenue Service has announced that Connecticut taxpayers are continuing to file their tax returns electronically from home computers at a record pace, up almost eight percent from the same period last year.

Overall, e-file by Connecticut taxpayers has increased by nearly three percent since last year. For the period ending February 22, the IRS has received 352,538 electronically filed returns compared to 343,080 for the same period last year.

“We expect e-file will continue to grow this year,” said Dianne Besunder, IRS spokeswoman for Connecticut. “We remind Connecticut taxpayers that e-filing is fast, secure, and reliable. For those who haven’t filed, they should make sure to request the telephone excise refund tax if they are eligible.”

In addition, this year’s filings show about three in ten tax returns are not requesting the one-time telephone tax refund. Although some of these taxpayers may not be eligible, others may qualify and not know it.

The IRS urges taxpayers to check their eligibility for this special refund by visiting the Telephone Excise Tax Refund section on IRS.gov.

The government stopped collecting the long-distance excise tax last August after several federal court decisions held that the tax does not apply to long-distance service as it is billed today. Federal officials also authorized a one-time refund of the three percent federal excise tax collected on service billed during the previous 41 months, stretching from the beginning of March 2003 to the end of July 2006.

The tax continues to apply to local-only phone service.

Nationally, of those requesting the telephone tax refund, 99 percent are choosing the standard amount, and the rest are basing their request on the actual amount of tax paid. The standard amount ranges from $30 to $60 and is based on the number of exemptions a taxpayer is eligible to claim on their return.

Alternatively, taxpayers can request a refund, based on the tax shown on their phone bills and other records.