Publication 4210 (Rev 10-2008) Catalog Number 36967G Department of the Treasury Internal Revenue Service www.irs.gov
Individual
Nationwide
Analysis
1
e file
IRS
ETA Tax Year 2006
October 2008
W&I Research Group 2
Project 5-07-08-2-056N
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Research Goal
Title II of the Restructuring and Reform Act of 1998 (RRA 98)
set a goal for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to have at
least 80 percent of all tax and information returns filed
electronically by the year 2007. To realize this goal (albeit
late), it is imperative that the IRS understand its markets,
measure the success of past marketing efforts, and track
changes in taxpayer behavior. In an effort by Electronic Tax
Administration and Refundable Credits (ETARC) to increase
the number of individual income tax returns filed
electronically, ETARC officials have requested information on
the flow of returns through the 2007 filing season based on
demographics and status. This information will be used to
target particular populations for future marketing efforts by the
ETARC.
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Business Objective
The overall business objective of this project is to provide
a baseline measure of the attributes of the six major e-
file market segments and to measure the progress in
promoting electronic filing for Tax Year (TY) 2006 by
answering specific questions and requests of the
customer. Some of these questions repeat analysis
previously conducted (for measurement of progress or
changes); some elaborate upon previous research; and
some introduce new questions. The report reflects all
TY 2006 returns processed through processing cycle 52
of 2007. The report also analyzes data from the multi-
year database.
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Business Questions
1) Provide Excel spreadsheets showing the repeat rates and inter-
modal migration rates for paper, ELF, and Online returns between
TY 2005 and TY 2006. These tables will be done in the forward
looking manner detailed in previous presentations.
2) Provide Excel spreadsheets that give descriptive statistics of the six
market