Pre-Addressed Income Tax Returns

January 2, 1970 REVENUE MEMORANDUM ORDER NO. 06-70 SUBJECT : Pre-Addressed Income Tax Returns In order to solve the perennial problem of non-indication of the TAN by the majority of the income tax return filers, the Data Processing Center and the Systems and Programming Staff are hereby directed to coordinate efforts in planning out the detailed procedures and necessary computer programs to test the effectiveness of sending out pre-addressed income tax return forms to tax filers. The scheme shall be first tested in Revenue Regions No. 14, 15, 18 and such other areas as may seem possible under the circumstances. Pre-addressing shall be in the form of printed IBM cards where the name of the taxpayer, his TAN, and his address are pre-printed on, IBM cards and stapled to the blank 1969 ITR forms to be sent to the taxpayer concerned. A message on each card requests the taxpayer to file his ITR together with the pre-printed address card. Another card corresponding to the pre-printed address card shall be pre-punched with the necessary data of the taxpayer to be kept in the Assessment Branches for cross reference purposes. Upon filing of the return by the taxpayer, the regional office will indicate the assessment number on the return based on instructions to be issued later. The address card shall also be stamped with the same assessment number as the return. The corresponding pre-punched card will be pulled out from the file and attached to the corresponding return for transmission to the Data Processing Center. The address card shall be retained in the assessment branch for reference. The following advantages are then expected from this project. 1. To assure TAN compliance. 2. To identify delinquent returns. 3. To assure consistency of names and addresses as they appear in our tape records. 4. To reduce data processing operations thereby facilitating processing of return. 5. To make possible maintenance of the master file. The Chairman, ADP Policy Committee shall have control over the operation of this new taxpayer service plan, and if the above expected advantages shall materialize, the Chairman shall recommend extension of the scheme to all the other regions for the 1970 income tax returns. The regional directors concerned are enjoined to fully participate in this project and to instruct their personnel to extend the fullest cooperation towards its success. This order takes effect immediately. MISAEL P. VERA Commissioner of Internal Revenue January 7, 1970 MEMORANDUM to The Revenue Regional Directors Revenue Regions No. 14, 15 & 18 Your regions have been selected to test the effectiveness of a new taxpayer service concept before nationwide implementation. The project calls for sending out pre-addressed ITR's to tax filers. Pre-addressing is in the form of printed IBM cards (which shall be known as the pre-addressed cards ) where the name of the taxpayer, his TAN, and his address are shown. A message on each pre-addressed card requests the taxpayer to file his ITR together with the pre-addressed card. A corresponding pre-punched duplicate IBM card (which shall be known as the pre-punched cards ) shall kept in the Assessment Branch for cross reference purposes . The detailed procedures in connection with the participation of your region in this project after the Data Processing Center had prepared all the pre-addressed and pre-punched cards are as follows: Unit Involved Detailed Activities Assessment Branch 1. Receives pre-addressed and pre-punched cards from DPC. 2. Hold in files pre-punched cards. 3. Staples pre-addressed cards to blank ITR forms. All cards with code 1 are for Form 1701A; those with code 2 are for Form 1701. 4. For taxpayers with city addresses, folds ITR's and inserts into standard BIR windowed envelops. 5. Mails envelops to tax filers residing in the city. 6. Distributes to collection agents all other pre-addressed ITR corresponding to taxpayers residing in the collection agent's municipality. Collection Agent 7. Delivers pre-addressed envelops to tax filers. 8. Receives ITR's with pre-addressed cards during filing period. If the pre-addressed card is not attached to ITR, requests taxpayer to attach card. If no card can be attached, accept ITR just the same. 9. Forwards all ITR's with the cards to Assessment Branch after processing as prescribed for in existing orders. Assessment Branch 10. Receives ITR's from Collection Agents and from tax filers within the region. 11. Writes alpha information on blank card for the ITR's without pre-addressed cards and staples card to ITR. 12. Processes ITR's per existing procedures including the stamping of the Assessment Number on the pre-addressed cards. 13. Detaches pre-addressed card from the ITR and files cards separately. 14. Matches ITR's against the pre-punched card file and pulls out corresponding pre-punched card and attaches to the ITR using paper clip. 15. Prepares transmittal and forwards ITR's and pre-punched cards to DPC. 16. Sorts manually all pre-addressed cards in an alphabetical order for reference. The following advantages are expected from this project: 1. To assure TAN compliance. 2. To identify delinquent returns. 3. To assure consistency of names and addresses as they appear in our tape records. 4. To reduce data processing operations in the DPC thereby facilitating processing of returns. 5. To make possible maintenance of the master file. 6. To make available the pre-addressed cards as ready reference for assessment number even if ITR's are still in process at DPC. The regional directors concerned are enjoined to participate fully in this project. MISAEL P. VERA Commissioner of Internal Revenue