| > > > (3) SPECIAL RULE FOR TAX RETURN PREPARERS | > >
| > > > (A) IN GENERAL- The Secretary shall require than any | > > > individual income tax return prepared by a tax return preparer be | > > > filed on magnetic media if-- | > >
| > > > (i) such return is filed by such tax return | > > > preparer, and | > >
| > > > (ii) such tax return preparer is a specified | > > > tax return preparer for the calendar year during which such return is | > > > filed. | >
| > > Magnetic media means a floppy disk (including the 3.5" hard-cased | > > floppies), or 9T-tape. A wire/modem transfer has no magnetic medium and | is | > > therefore excluded. This might include the older 5.25" floppies, but | > > usually doesn't include the oldest 8" floppies unless it specifically | says | > > so | >
| > This sounds ridiculous. Hardly anyone I know uses 3.5" floppies any | > more. Most everything is on hard drives, and sometimes the hard drive | > is on a remote computer. | >
| > > If they wanted "Internet or phone" transmissions, they would have said | "by | > > electronic means" instead of "on magnetic media." | > >
| > > This language actually KILLS "e-file" that we've had since 1990 (for | 1989 | > > returns in pilot program areas). | >
| > Why would they want to kill eFile? Isn't that what everyone pretty | > much uses these days? | | I don't know, but you are correct that the bill actually mandates "magnetic | media." I looked up the final version that Obama signed yesterday. That | would also rule out USB flash-drives and flash-cards, as those are | silicon-based non-magnetic media. I think Congress was trying to be smart | but designated the wrong thing. | | I plan on raising this issue in my tax update class in 3 weeks from | tomorrow. However, it is clear that the language used EXCLUDES electronic | wire transmission - as there is no medium storing the data, and would also | exclude CD/DVD media (since they are optical, not magnetic). I also noted | no provision for the Secretary (or his designate) to permit other types - | ONLY "magnetic media" is permitted. | | There are probably some income tax returns that cannot fit on a floppy | disk. What are we supposed to do with those - send a hard drive?
I still have 9-track tape drives if anybody wants to go that route. I can even go as low as 800bpi density for maximum backwards compatibility...
Dan Lanciani ddl@danlan.*com