The service is based on an online version of Block s TaxCut software. That is who we are going after, says Aaron Horvath, the interactive marketing manager. Refund Rewards lets users receive their refunds loaded on a prepaid buying card that can be used for ATM withdrawals or to make purchases anywhere MasterCard is accepted. When customers use the cards with a Refund Rewards partner, they will receive special discounts on travel, vacations, automobiles, and other purchases. It is a more sophisticated tax return service, notes Tim Redmond, the company s executive vice president.
Pricing includes federal and state forms and free electronic filing.
Users can store their data on Taasc s servers or they can store the results on their local hard drives. The CPA community likes the control of having their own data on their local drive, says Redmond. This is going to be a beautiful option for them. Users are charged only if they print a return. We are trying to put everything on the Web, says president John Vora, who notes that the company is now testing a Web-based payroll service as well.