The makers of tax preparation software responded promptly by adding that feature to their products. The idea has caught on with consumers who are tired of battling all that paper. This year, the IRS expects more than 33.6 million U.S. federal tax returns to be filed electronically. That accounts for about one quarter of all consumer tax returns. The IRS recently reported that by Jan. 17, over 700,000 returns had already been filed electronically.
Less paper means less cost and greater efficiency at that end, too.
Of course, tax preparation software isn't without its drawbacks. The biggest problem is that because tax laws change every year, the software changes every year, too. You can't buy tax software this year and expect to be able use it for next year's return. On top of that, there's the hassle of having to install the new software, figure out the new interface features, and so on. Wouldn't it be great if you could use the same software to do your taxes year in and year out.