State Comptroller's Office co-workers Bill Huebl and
Ruth Anne King discuss some of the 291 conditions
subject to user acceptance testing of the State of
Maryland Tax System during the summer of 1993. The
system contains nearly 300 computer programs that
will process all tax accounts.

"Maryland is only the
fourth state in the nation
to implement a new
consolidated computer
system for tax
administration," says
State Comptroller
Louis L. Goldstein

The State of

Maryland Tax System will
handle the processing for
all state tax accounts
administered by the State
Comptroller's Office,
creating one taxpayer
history file for each
taxpayer.

The change will
consolidate the
accounting systems for

each tax; simplify tax

notices and other correspondence; streamline collection activities and
eliminate the need for separate files in different divisions. The system will be
organized by taxpayer - instead of by tax type - making life easier for both
taxpayers and tax officials.

For example, a retail service station might file individual income tax
returns, corporation income tax returns, sales and use tax returns, withhold
income taxes from employees' wages, possess a cigarette retailer's license
and a motor fuel tax registration. Under the new system, information about the
owner's several accounts will be consolidated under the taxpayer's name and
easily accessible.

The new system will cut costs, eliminate duplication of effort and boost
efficiency. It will also improve tax compliance.

User acceptance testing for the system began in fiscal year 1993,
after the completion of all planning and documentation. The individual
income tax portion of the system was brought on line on September 1,
1993, and the business tax portion of the system is scheduled to go on
line on June 1, 1994.

20