Replacement of crippled Montana tax computer system nearly complete

Delinquent taxpayers will get monthly bills from the Department of Revenue starting in November, under the latest phase of a new tax accounting computer system unveiled Wednesday.

Revenue Director Dan Bucks said such statements are the norm when people owe money in the business world. The 19,000 people who owe an estimated $40 million in state back taxes should be treated the same, he said.

“The rest of the world operates on a monthly billing system,” said Bucks. “In November, the Montana Department of Revenue will be joining the rest of the world.”

The billing statements and other compliance tools are part of the department’s latest efforts to replace its crippled computer system, known as POINTS, which has given officials headaches for years and cost the state an estimated $55 million.

POINTS, or Process Oriented Integrated Tax System, was intended to provide one cohesive system for tax computing and tracking in Montana, but the system had problems from the start in May 1998 and the Legislature eventually ordered the project abandoned.

By SARAH COOKE Associated Press

Full Story: http://missoulian.com/articles/2005/09/21/breaker/doc4331b73238adc202377626.txt