Comptroller's Report
Dear Readers:
10 Principles for Texas
in the 21st Century
- Develop a better-educated workforce
- Direct more of every education dollar into the classroom
- Raise the bar on student performance
- Cut taxes in Texas
- Introduce competition into Texas government
- Improve government performance and accountability
- Reduce the size of government
- Bring common sense to regulations
- Use technology to cut costs and increase quality
- Return control to communities and individuals
If all Texas businesses paid their sales taxes online, the paper alone that we would save would reach from the floor of the Capitol rotunda to the top of the Capitol dome.
When I announced my e-Texas initiatives, I vowed to lead Texas out of the age of Atari and Commodore. By using Web-based management and e-commerce systems, we in state government can now deliver more goods and better services to our customers—the taxpayers—at a lower cost.
One of these systems is WebFile, an online state sales tax filing system that meets my principle for using technology to cut costs and increase the quality of government service.
WebFile is a win-win situation. It makes it easier for businesses to file taxes and saves the state time and money. There are a lot of benefits to using the system. With WebFile’s electronic file transfer system, a business owner can report their taxes, set a payment date, then sit back and relax. The funds will be automatically transferred to the Comptroller’s office on the due date. That way, the taxes get paid and the funds will stay with the business for as long as possible, allowing it to earn additional interest.
Or, businesses can file through WebFile and pay by credit card. That allows them to earn airline miles or cash-back bonuses.
More than 100,000 Texans are already using WebFile. It is now open to every business in Texas.
I encourage Texas businesses to give WebFile a try. When they see how much time and money the system can save them, I’m confident they will want to keep using it. There are no paper forms to fill out, no checks to worry about losing, and no inconvenient trips to the post office.
WebFile is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Once a business registers, it’s ready to file online—there’s no waiting period. WebFile also allows Texans to spend less time processing tax forms and more time doing what they should—growing their business and creating jobs.
Sincerely,
Carole Keeton Rylander
Texas Comptroller
