Charleston, W. Va. -- The West Virginia State Tax Department has contracted with Fast Enterprises LLC (FAST) to install a new integrated tax computer system to replace the Department's 30-year-old system, Acting State Tax Commissioner Virgil T. Helton announced today.

Beginning this February, the Colorado based firm will install and configure its software product, GenTax®, to meet the specific operational needs of the Department and improve taxpayer service. The entire project is expected to take 3 ½ years to complete.

"This is a very exciting effort for West Virginia. Our citizens will not only get improved response times, more complete and timely information, but also self-service capabilities on the department's web-site where they will be able to obtain their own information and manage their accounts, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week." said Helton.

The state wins too, noted Helton. "We estimate that after full implementation of GenTax® the state should realize an annual increase of $18 million in revenues," said Helton. The increase in revenues will come from improved audit tracking and collection efforts.

The GenTax® installation will cost $22 million and will allow the Department to consolidate all its information from its more than 42 tax and fee programs onto one integrated system. This will give Department staff a consolidated view of each corporation's and individual's tax and fee activities so they can provide all taxpayers with more complete and up-to-date information.

State Tax Agencies that have recently implemented GenTax® software include Idaho, New Mexico, Louisiana, Montana, Georgia, Alabama, Wisconsin and North Dakota. Other jurisdictions using the GenTax product include the City of Scottsdale Arizona, and the Canadian Provinces of British Columbia and Manitoba.

"West Virginia clearly expects to be a leader in implementing state government best practices and we are excited to be a part of that vision." said Martin Rankin, Partner, Fast Enterprises. "Large scale information technology projects are challenging and Fast is committed to completing this project on time and within budget".

Designed to specifically meet the needs of revenue agencies, GenTax® was the first commercial off the shelf (COTS) integrated tax processing package. In 2005, the National Federation of Tax Administrators recognized GenTax® for its role in the Louisiana Department of Revenue's DELTA Project and the Department received the top award for Technology Applications. For more information about Fast, visit www.GenTax.com.

 

  

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