| Everyone dreads doing their taxes. In fact, that's probably why so many of us put it off until the last minute. Or worse, file for an extension. It is hard to say what it is about filing taxes, most of us get money back, but it still ranks about the same as a dentist appointment for most people.
Well, starting the new century is the perfect time to break these old habits and let the Internet help you get filed on time, or even early, using resources available on the Web and software to automatically file your taxes via your Internet connection.
There are many Web sites devoted to helping people file taxes and find information. Here are a few of the best to get you started.
The first place to start should be the Internal Revenue Service Web site (http://www.irs.gov). Their home page is a bit cluttered, but contains good information. However, the most useful section will probably be the Forms and Publications page (http://www.irs.gov/forms_pubs/), where you can download any of the forms necessary to file this year's, or past year's, taxes.
Similar information is available for the state of Arizona at the Arizona Department of Revenue Web site (http://www.revenue.state.az.us).
Another great site that has received a lot of attention this year is Tax Prophet (http://www.taxprophet.com). Run by Robert L. Sommers, taxation lawyer, columnist and all around expert on taxes, his site has a wealth of valuable information. Included is a tax and trust scam section which is worth reviewing.
Once you have gathered your W-2s, 1099s, dividend and mortgage statements, credit card statements and all canceled checks, you are ready to fire up your tax software and get those returns done on time.
The king of tax software is Intuit's TurboTax (or MacInTax for the Mac). They have a Web site (http://www.turbotax.com) where you can find product comparisons, tax information and convenient features like a tax estimator javascript program. If you decide to buy the software, most reviews I've read recommend sticking with the basic version, claiming that the deluxe is not worth the extra money.
Another leader in tax software and online filing is H&R Block (http://www.hrblock.com). Their site has tax information, instructions on how to file online and an easy-to-use refund estimator located in their Tax Center section. H&R Block also sells the Kiplinger TaxCut software, which is the main rival to Turbotax.
And, of course, Microsoft has a similar product called TaxSaver. It's the newcomer this year and most reviews reveal that the software reflects Microsofts's the lack of experience in this field.
One last word of advice. When searching for tax information on search engines, I recommend staying away from Yahoo!. Most other search engines, such as HotBot.com or Google.com, are much better at listing current information and new Web sites. Most searches I did on Yahoo! brought back results for the 1998 tax season.
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