At the 2009 Ontario Public Service Showcase, the ONT-TAXS Online (TAP) Team won the Merit Award in the area of Government Modernization. Taxpayer Access Point, or TAP, is a companion product to GenTax® that gives taxpayers the ability to file returns, make payments and maintain their accounts over the web. The “Government Modernization” category includes initiatives in which information technology has played a critical role in providing business value while enabling significant organizational transformation. Over 150 entries throughout Ontario provincial and local government were submitted.

A $22 million state tax collection system upgrade is already paying big dividends, according to West Virginia Tax Commissioner Christopher Morris. The state collected $125.9 million from past due accounts last year – an all-time record, Morris said. Before the state began installing the new system in 2006, annual past due account collections were in the $82 million to $91 million range.

Paying taxes is never an enjoyable experience, but the province is trying to make the process easier for businesses, the parliamentary assistant to the provincial Minister of Revenue told the Chatham-Kent Chamber of Commerce last Wednesday.

The Automated Wage Certification Team, led by a state compliance analyst and Heath Mickelson of FAST, won the 2008 Outstanding Service Award for Innovation. The award recognizes employees or teams that use an innovative approach to increase productivity, efficiency and service to the department.

The Montana Department of Justice, Gambling Control Division won the 2008 Government Achievement Award in the category of Government-to-Business. The honor was awarded to the Department for the success of its Online Suite of Services, of which GenTax® and Taxpayer Access Point are a large part. TAP is used by business taxpayers to:

• Submit license applications
• Manage their Gaming Tax registration
• File Gaming Tax returns and make payments
• Manage permits of video gaming machines
• Certify new video gaming machine / software
• Submit gaming machine meter readings

Best of the Web recognizes the most innovative, user-friendly state and local government portals while the Digital Government Achievement Award recognizes outstanding agency and department Web sites and applications. Judges from all over the nation determined the winners.

The Public Sector Quality Fair is an annual event showcasing service quality excellence within Ontario in the federal, provincial, municipal and broader public sector. At the 2008 Ontario Public Service Showcase, the Ministry of Finance’s project to implement GenTax®, dubbed MOST (Modernizing Ontario’s Systems for Taxation), won a Gold Award for Best-in-Class Performance and also received the Merit Award. The Merit Award was in the Government Modernization category which recognizes initiatives in which Information Technology has played a critical role in providing business value while enabling significant organizational transformation.

In addition, the project team also received the Corporate CIO Award. This award “recognizes projects and teams that demonstrate extraordinary success in developing and implementing the often-invisible technology and program infrastructure that allows the business of government to function effectively.”