Free computer-assisted tax filing program touted

BENTONVILLE — Free computer-assisted income tax filings are available to individuals with less than $64,000 income to report, the state’s governor and senior U.S. senator reminded Arkansans at an event Friday.

The “Free File” program is available to all federal income taxpayers. Arkansas is one of 22 states, plus the District of Columbia, who also participate in the program for filing state income tax, Gov. Asa Hutchinson said.

U.S. Sen. John Boozman, R-Rogers, Bentonville Mayor Bob McCaslin and the governor were guest speakers at the Bentonville Public Library. The Computer and Communications Industry Association scheduled the event to promote the service. The association’s members provide the software for tax preparation to the Internal Revenue Service and participating states at no charge to the taxpayers who use it, according to the speakers. Vendors agreed to the system in return for a pledge from the IRS not to provide such a service without them, according to news accounts.

An Internet link to the service is on the websites of both the IRS and the state Department of Finance and Administration, the speakers said. The link leads to a page of a dozen different links to tax preparation sites offered by participating companies.

Tax preparation software companies agreed to provide the service because it was easy and the right thing to do, said Shannon McNulty of Intuit, a software provider. The service does not try to sell a product, gather information for marketing and has protocols to protect the privacy of those who use it, speakers said.

Susan Reehl of the nonprofit WestArk Retired and Senior Volunteer Program said in an interview after the event that the software service is quite worthwhile. Her organization gives in-person assistance from volunteers in tax preparation.

“For people who are computer literate, it’s fantastic,” she said. “You do have to be comfortable with tech. It’s certainly great for students, who have to file one form and their W-2s. But you do have to have access to a computer and a printer since you’ll want to keep a record for your return. Libraries provide that kind of access.”

One of the biggest issues in helping low-income earners file their taxes is not just computer literacy, but basic literacy, Reehl said. Challenges like that cannot be met online, she said.

About 48 million taxpayers are expected to use the free filing option, speakers at the event said. The filing deadline for both federal and state income taxes is April 15.