For Immediate Release
Date: 10/15/2009
Contact: Joel Davison, Public Relations Manager (804) 786-3507 joel.davison@tax.virginia.gov
Sign Up Now to Get Important Tax News, Reminders Delivered to your Computer
~ New E-Subscription Service Is Information Resource for Taxpayers ~
RICHMOND, Va. – Did you remember that the annual back-to-school sales tax holiday for school and office supplies, clothing and footwear was Aug. 7-9? If you pay quarterly estimated taxes, do you know when your payment is due?
If you own a computer, you can now get important reminders likes these, plus the latest news and updates about the types of taxes that affect you, delivered right to your inbox.
The Department of Taxation (TAX) this week introduces E-Subscriptions, a new service for keeping subscribers informed about the tax types that interest them most, such as personal income tax, sales and use tax, employee withholding tax, and many more. This free service is available to anyone who has an e-mail address. It will be most useful to individuals, businesses, tax professionals, payroll providers, and software developers.
“E-Subscriptions is part of our ongoing effort to provide Virginia taxpayers with timely, accurate information that’s important to them,” said Tax Commissioner Janie E. Bowen. “Whether you’re an individual who just likes to know what’s going on in the tax world, or a payroll provider whose business depends on keeping up with the latest changes in employee withholding, E-Subscriptions could be a very valuable service.”
E-Subscriptions has separate e-mail lists for individual income tax, sales and use tax, employer withholding tax, corporate income tax, pass-through-entity tax, tobacco tax, and miscellaneous taxes. People may sign up for as many lists as they want or select “All Tax Types” to receive all reminders. They will also have the option of unsubscribing from the lists at any time.
To sign up or find out more about E-Subscriptions, go the agency’s home page at tax.virginia.gov and click on the link under Announcements at the top of the page.
Even if you are not a subscriber to the service, you will be able to search the archives containing all information that has been sent out.
For Immediate Release
Date: 10/14/2009
Contact: Joel Davison, Public Relations Manager (804) 786-3507 joel.davison@tax.virginia.gov
Giant, Square Smiley Face Head Sightings all over Virginia
~ Taxation Department invites Facebook fans, Twitter followers ~
RICHMOND, Va. – In its effort to bring a kinder, gentler approach to its tax amnesty program The Virginia Department of Taxation is inviting people to become Facebook fans of its Giant Square Smiley Face Heads. The agency is also tweeting about taxes. They even have a YouTube Channel.
“We have also established a LinkedIn page for tax professionals, CPAs and others who want to learn more about the program,” said Tax Commissioner Janie Bowen. “We are trying to be as progressive and inviting to the public as possible, so people can easily pay what they owe and get square with the state.”
From the outset of the campaign, the Department has looked for ways to help individuals and small businesses take maximum advantage of this window of opportunity to save money on back taxes. In addition to these social media channels, there is also a website, GetSquareVA.com, with a live-chat feature to enable taxpayers to get answers after regular business hours. The toll-free number 1-888-560-0057 (please note: 888, not 800), is also available on Mondays through Thursdays 8:30 a.m.-8 p.m.; Fridays 8:30 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. and Saturdays 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
On the first day of the program, there were nearly 3,700 web site visits and the call center received over 6,000 calls.
To participate in Get Square VA, you must take the following steps between Oct. 7, 2009 and Dec. 5, 2009:
• If you have delinquent returns - file required tax returns along with supporting documentation no later than Dec. 5, 2009 and pay the full amount of the tax and one half of the interest;
• If you have outstanding tax bills - send payment for taxes due along with half the interest amount no later than Dec. 5, 2009;
• Submit filings or payments online at www.GetSquareVA.com by midnight on Dec. 5, 2009, or file or pay by mail, postmarked no later than Dec. 5, 2009.
Normally you would pay full interest and penalties on the unpaid tax, but under Get Square VA, you have a chance to get caught up on your taxes and the Commonwealth will drop your penalties and half of your interest. If you wait until after Dec. 5, 2009 to pay up, you’ll be charged full interest and penalties with an additional 20 percent amnesty penalty.
For more information, call 1-888-560-0057 (please note: 888, not 800) or go online at www.GetSquareVa.com. Taxpayers are urged to not wait until the last minute to get their questions answered and to avoid waiting in long lines.
For Immediate Release
Date: 10/07/2009
Contact: Joel Davison, Public Relations Manager (804) 786-3507 joel.davison@tax.virginia.gov
Virginia Taxpayers Can Get Square with the State Starting Today
~ More than 750 phone calls received in first few hours ~
RICHMOND, Va. – The Virginia Department of Taxation has already had an overwhelming response to its September 28th announcement that Virginians can take advantage of a tax amnesty program that forgives and forgets if you pay-up late taxes within the next 60 days.
In an effort to meet the demand for information, the agency opened their toll-free phone lines two days early and handled more than 750 calls in the first few hours.
“The Call Center we contracted with to handle the calls was not scheduled to begin until the amnesty start date of October 7,” said Tax Commissioner Janie Bowen. “We shifted around people within the department to answer the calls and to do everything we can to help people take advantage of the program.”
If you owe back taxes to the state of Virginia, you have a limited window of time this fall to pay-up with NO penalties and half the normal interest charges.
From the outset of the campaign, the department has looked for ways to help individuals and small businesses take maximum advantage of this window of opportunity to save money on back taxes. In addition to the toll-free number, there is also a website, GetSquareVA.com, with a live-chat feature to enable taxpayers to get answers after regular business hours.
To participate in Get Square VA, you must take the following steps between Oct. 7, 2009 and Dec. 5, 2009:
• If you have delinquent returns - file required tax returns along with supporting documentation no later than Dec. 5, 2009 and pay the full amount of the tax and one half of the interest;
• If you have outstanding tax bills - send payment for taxes due along with half the interest amount no later than Dec. 5, 2009;
• Submit filings or payments online at www.GetSquareVA.com by midnight on Dec. 5, 2009, or file or pay by mail, postmarked no later than Dec. 5, 2009.
Normally you would pay full interest and penalties on the unpaid tax, but under Get Square VA, you have a chance to get caught up on your taxes and the Commonwealth will drop your penalties and half of your interest. If you wait until after Dec. 5, 2009 to pay-up, you’ll be charged full interest and penalties with an additional 20 percent amnesty penalty.
For more information, call 1-888-560-0057 (please note: 888, not 800) or go online at www.GetSquareVa.com. Taxpayers are urged to not wait until the last minute to get their questions answered and to avoid waiting in long lines.
For Release
Date: 08/12/2009
Contact: H. Keith Mawyer, Property Tax Manager, (804) 367-8020
Meeting Notice - State Land Evaluation Advisory Council (SLEAC)
The Department of Taxation will host a meeting for the State Land Evaluation Advisory Council on Monday, 09/14/2009 at 11:00am.
Please refer to the meeting details for further information.
For Immediate Release
Date: 08/07/2009
Contact: Joel Davison, Public Relations Manager (804) 786-3507 joel.davison@tax.virginia.gov
Teleworking Saving Money, Boosting Productivity for Tax Department
~ Agency Now Has 59% of its Workforce Teleworking at least One Day a Week ~
RICHMOND, Va. – If anyone wants proof that teleworking can be a great business decision while also boosting employee productivity and morale, just ask the Department of Taxation. TAX has been home-basing employees since 2001 and now has 644 employees, or 59% of its permanent and temporary workforce, working from home at least one day a week.
Monday was statewide Telework Day, a day when Gov. Tim Kaine and telework organizations were encouraging state agencies and private businesses to test how having employees work from home could benefit them. TAX had over 525 employees working from home that day, a one-day record for agency.
Teleworking will save the agency about $130,000 annually in rent, parking and utilities. And the employees love it.
“The benefits have been substantial,” says Tax Commissioner Janie E. Bowen. “Employees view it as a perk and it’s been a great business decision for us. We’re not only saving money, we’re also seeing higher productivity, better morale and we are much more prepared to handle a disaster because we have so many employees all over the state who could still access our systems, the Internet and provide service to taxpayers.”
In 2001, TAX home-based over 200 field auditors and collectors when budget cuts resulted in the closing of eight district offices. In 2006, Gov. Kaine Kaine issued Executive Order 35 establishing the Office of Telework Promotion and Broadband Assistance. One of his goals was to have all state agencies let at least 20 percent of their eligible employees telework by 2010. TAX was asked to be the pilot agency.
After running pilot programs and determining which employees were eligible to work from home, the agency’s telework program took off. In January 2007, TAX began sending eligible employees home in waves of 50 to telework one day a week and went to the economically depressed Danville-Martinsville region to recruit 23 full-time home-based Customer Service Reps, who started in October 2007. In February 2008, 30 seasonal data-entry employees were added in the same region to help with the agency’s busy filing season.
A year later, 294 employees are teleworking one day a week and 350 employees are home-based, including the field auditors and collectors. Productivity has gone up in most areas, including a 12 percent increase in customer service functions.
“I am an ardent champion of teleworking,” said Bowen. “It’s been a true win-win for the agency and employees. Due to higher productivity we’ve been able to hire fewer temps for filing season, and turnover has dropped in our Customer Contact Center from 57 percent in 2007 to only 4.8 percent so far this year. Our robust telework program has certainly played a major role in keeping good people.”
For Immediate Release
Date: 08/07/2009
Contact: Joel Davison, Public Relations Manager, (804) 786-3507, joel.davison@tax.virginia.gov; Ginny Slaughter, Public Relations Specialist (804) 786-3455 virginia.slaughter@tax.virginia.gov
New Live Chat Service Gives Taxpayers Fast Online Help from Tax Department
~ Just click on the Live Chat icon and talk to a Tax rep in real time ~
RICHMOND, Va. – Getting help from the state tax department is now just a click away.
The Virginia Department of Taxation recently introduced “Live Chat,” a new service that lets taxpayers communicate online in real time with the department’s Tax representatives. All taxpayers need to do to connect with a rep is to click on the Live Chat logo, which is located throughout the agency’s Web site. Taxpayers can ask general tax questions or specific questions about their accounts.
Live Chat also offers extended service hours and even availability on Saturday mornings. It is available from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. week days, and from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays.
“We are always looking for ways to better serve the taxpayers and Live Chat is a big enhancement in interactive communications,” said Tax Commissioner Janie E. Bowen. “Along with calling us, writing us or sending us a secure message over the Internet, Live Chat now gives taxpayers a fourth way to get their questions answered.”
After clicking the Live Chat icon, taxpayers will receive an immediate response. The chat will then be routed to the appropriate representative based on whether it’s a question about personal income tax or a business.
Taxpayers who have account-specific questions will be asked for information to help the operator validate who they are. Once they are done chatting with the rep, taxpayers will have full access to the complete transcript of their online conversation and will be able to print it out. They will also have the option of completing a short survey to rate the service they received.
For Immediate Release
Date: 07/28/2009
Contact: Joel Davison, Public Relations Manager, (804) 786-3507, joel.davison@tax.virginia.gov
Virginia's Fourth Annual Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday Coming Up
RICHMOND, Va. – More than ever, the cost of sending children back to school is likely hanging over the heads of many families this year, even for frugal families who clip coupons, scour sale circulars and shop around.
For the fourth year, the Commonwealth, along with Virginia’s retailers, again stands ready to help its citizens save a little more.
Virginia’s back-to-school sales tax holiday begins Friday, Aug. 7 and runs through Sunday, Aug. 9, 2009.
During this three-day period, many school supplies costing $20 or less each and clothing items and footwear costing $100 or less each will be exempt from Virginia’s 5 percent sales tax. This includes items like pencils, pens, binders, paints, musical instruments and calculators, as well as pants, shirts, formal wear, shoes, flip-flops, and even uniforms.
Lists of exempt items, along with guidelines for the sales tax holiday and a set of frequently asked questions, are available on the Tax Department’s Sales Tax Holiday Information Center at www.tax.virginia.gov.
This sales tax holiday is for all taxpayers in Virginia, not just for those with children heading back to school, so now’s a good time to stock up on office supplies or clothing for adults as well. There is no limit on the number of items you can buy as long as each one qualifies under the holiday’s guidelines.
During this sales tax holiday, retailers may also choose to save taxpayers even more by opting to pay the sales tax themselves on items that are not eligible for exemption.
“The citizens of the Commonwealth are savvy, and they know that the August sales tax holiday is a great way to put a little more back in the family budget,” said Tax Commissioner Janie Bowen. “This has been a popular sales tax holiday every year since it was implemented, and I have no doubt even more thrifty families will be out there this year taking advantage of this opportunity to stretch their dollars a little further.”
It is estimated that Virginia taxpayers will save $4 million in sales tax this year.
For Immediate Release
Date: 05/22/2009
Contact: Joel Davison, Public Relations Manager (804) 786-3507 joel.davison@tax.virginia.gov
Tax Department Educates YouTube Viewers on Sales Tax Holiday for Hurricane Preparedness
~ Spokesmouse ‘Phil’ Shops Tax-Free to Get Ready for Storm Season ~
RICHMOND, Va. – Virginia’s second sales tax holiday for hurricane preparedness begins Monday, May 25, and runs for a full week. It’s the ideal time to stock up – without paying taxes – on batteries, flashlights, bottled water, first aid kits and many other items you may need the next time a big storm hits Virginia.
To reach a broader audience, the Tax Department just posted a YouTube video about the holiday. It features agency spokesmouse, Phil, who has already starred in three videos during filing season this year urging taxpayers to file their taxes online.
In the video, Phil visits a hardware store and fills his shopping cart with duct tape, tie-downs, rope, a first aid kit, batteries, a lantern and other items that are exempt from the 5 percent state and local sales tax under the sales tax holiday guidelines. After his shopping trip, Phil relaxes at home while a storm rages outside.
Visit tax.virginia.gov for full details, including the complete list of items, guidelines for consumers and retailers, and frequently asked questions about the holiday. Even generators priced at $1,000 or less each are tax-exempt during the holiday.
Go to tax.virginia.gov/phil to view all four of Phil’s videos. They were all produced by employees of the agency.
During the sales tax holiday, retailers may also choose to pay the sales tax themselves on one or more non-qualifying items they sell and pass the 5 percent savings on to their customers.
“Phil is making some important points in his videos and with over 14,000 hits so far on YouTube we think we are getting these messages to a different audience,” said Tax Commissioner Janie Bowen.
Virginia also has two additional sales tax holidays, for school supplies and clothing in August, and for energy-efficient appliances and other products in October.
Phil’s no-budget videos will continue soon as he educates viewers on other important services, events and programs offered by the Tax Department.
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