Students can file taxes by phone

College students often face an array of problems when filing their first tax returns. "I'm just so confused about everything connected with taxes," Nursing freshman Zena Lobell said. "No one seems to be able to provide the answers." But students can now bypass the perennial problems associated with complicated tax forms by filing with the Internal Revenue Service over a new, automated toll-free phone line. An estimated 23 million taxpayers are currently eligible to file paperless tax returns through the electronic filing system, called TeleFile, according to an IRS press release. This new service represents the latest step in a concerted effort by the IRS to eliminate the paperwork produced by millions of taxpayers each year, the release said. The toll-free service is available around the clock in both Spanish and English to qualified taxpayers. Participants must be single with no dependents and have a taxable income of less than $50,000. Taxpayers receive TeleFile instructions and a personal identification number to gain access to the system with their regular tax booklet. Applicants must also have filed a 1040-EZ form and need to use the same address as last year. Students who list their home address, rather than school address, usually meet these requirements, according to Chris DeSimone, an employee with the public relations firm that is promoting the service for the IRS. "Filing taxes doesn't get any easier than this," said IRS Commissioner Margaret Milner Richardson. "TeleFile will not only save taxpayers time and trouble but will also make the IRS more efficient." Taxpayers call the listed 1-800 number in the TeleFile book and follow the instructions, entering their responses with numbers. The program calculates whether the taxpayer owes the IRS money or will actually receive a refund on their tax returns. The phone call usually takes fewer than 10 minutes for the system to process the information and return an answer, according to the release. In the event the caller owes taxes, a check must be mailed to the IRS by the April 15 deadline. The IRS is using advertising to target college-age audiences. Television advertisements on MTV, CBS, NBC, ABC and FOX will feature animated pencils talking about the new service. But while the service purports to make filing taxes easier, some students and tax professionals expressed doubt about the new format. Robert Chain, an independent tax practitioner licensed by the IRS, said that despite the ad campaign, the program's limited visibility will hinder its success. "It's theoretically a good idea that will definitely aid taxpayers," he said. "The fact is that many taxpayers will not even be aware of the new system." Lobell echoed similar sentiments. Although she visited both Van Pelt Library and a local branch of the Philadelphia library system, she was "not even made aware" of the process for which she may be eligible. Engineering freshman Louis Camaratta, a work-study student involved with computer support systems, doubted the effectiveness of such "painless, feel-good" programs.

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