| Once again, it's time to roll up our sleeves, break out the calculators and write those big checks to Uncle Sam. And, once again, it is time for my annual tax column highlighting this years Internet resources for finding tax help online.
As in previous years, Intuit's Quicken Turbo Tax 2001 (http://www.quicken.com/taxes/) continues to be the leader and trendsetter among tax software and electronic filing.
It costs $39.95 to purchase and use their software that quickly and easily guides users through the filing process by asking a series of questions during an interview process. If your 2001 income is less than $25,000, the full price of the software can be refunded.
In addition to buying the software and installing it on your computer, you also have the option of using the software right off Intuit's Web site. You can even start the process at one time and come back and finish at a later date.
Over 70% of last year's Turbo Tax customers filed using the Web site version instead of installing the software on their PC.
Still Intuit's number one competitor, this year H&R Block (http://www.hrblock.com) continues to offer their TaxCut Deluxe software package.
Overall, this package is similar to Turbo Tax and the H&R Block Web site has a wealth of resources and options for filing your taxes.
If you are looking for more general information and tax forms, government run Web sites may be the answer.
To begin with, the Internal Revenue Services (http://www.irs.gov/) Web site offers a wealth of information and resources. One of the most useful sections is their forms and publications download area which can be accessed directly from this address: http://www.irs.gov/forms_pubs/.
Most of these forms can be downloaded, viewed and printed using the free Adobe Acrobat software and others can be filled in before downloading and printing.
Information from the Arizona Department of Revenue (http://www.revenue.state.az.us) is also available online. 2002 tax forms can be found directly by using this link: http://www.revenue.state.az.us/2002forms.htm.
Another valuable resource is the Small Business Administration's Web site featuring information for the 2001 - 2002 tax filing Season: http://www.sba.gov/hotlist/taxes.html.
They include tax tips for small businesses, general resources and links to other state's departments of revenue.
Lastly, I found a resource called the CPAdirectory (http://www.cpadirectory.com/) that not only offers a directory of CPAs, but includes a tax dictionary and calculator under their Taxes sub heading. You will also find fun facts about taxes that offer a much-needed break while finishing your taxes.
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