February 11- February 18 2001
 
 
 
 
 
 

Taxwiz 2000
by Alessandro Cancian

 Theres still some months to go, but what about doing your taxes sooner than usual? This is a sore spot for many of us, and is sometimes left to the very last day. However, for those who decide to get it over with in plenty of time and using their computers to prepare their returns, several products are already available including the version for 2000 of Taxwiz, from Taxamatic.
Sporting a sparing graphical appearance, bare but essential, the 2000 edition of this all-Canadian software hasnt changed much in comparison with its predecessor. Taxwiz is probably one of the simplest products for filing our tax returns with Revenue Canada.
The program itself is, in fact, very intuitive and comes with on-line help that provides everything needed to fill out the various forms. Part of its ease of use is due to a faithful reproduction of the forms, such as T1 and T4, that pop up on the screen. The software offers three different ways to compute your tax return: the Taxwiz Interview, that asks you questions whose answers will enable the program to complete your tax calculation; a Profile Wizard method, based on a taxpayer profile you create, will select just the forms you need; and the third method is for experienced users, allowing them to choose and fill the forms you need.
Taxwiz sports some other really interesting features, such as the Tax Planner that can give us the most convenient scenario for our deductions; a Financial Planner; and an RRSP and RRIF calculator. TaxWiz is a Netfile Certified software, i.e. after completing the forms you can file your taxes over the internet to Revenue Canada (you must have received a Web Access Code from Revenue Canada to be eligible).
Compared to last years version, this year you can even import tax return files from QuickTax 99. A pleasant addition, especially for those who choose to switch programs, but it still requires a tricky process to work properly. What hasnt changed since last year is the need to keep the CD in the drive for the program to run at all. Piracy aside, this is an incredible annoyance and inconvenience.
Taxwiz is available for $24.95 (+ $10 mail-in rebate) and allows you to file unlimited tax returns. Taxamatic also offers the possibility to file ones taxes on-line at $8 per return (free for people with income under $20,000) without necessarily purchasing the program on CD. You can pay the $8 on the net, and in case you dont want to use your credit card you can purchase, in any authorised dealer, a Taxwiz To Go prepaid card.
For Quebec taxpayers, the Richmond Hill-based company offers Impotmatique, the adaptation of their software to the laws of the Francophone province.
Taxwiz is the simplest software you can find on the market for tax return filing, although we all hope that next years interface will be slightly more pleasant from the graphical standpoint. Then of course, these are taxes.

For further information please visit: www.taxwiz.ca
 

 

 
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