Published in the Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader, by Bill O'Boyle

December 19, 2013

State Secretary of Revenue Dan Meuser said Thursday Pennsylvania’s ranking as the “most improved” on a taxation scorecard is a direct result of Gov. Tom Corbett’s administration’s promise to make the tax appeals process more objective and taxpayer-friendly.

According to a release, the Council on State Taxation (COST) this week named Pennsylvania as the “most improved” state in the nation — vaulting from a “D” rating to an “A-” in its most recent tax administration scorecard.

Corbett thanked Meuser, a resident of Kingston Township, and others at the Department of Revenue for their leadership on the issue.

Meuser said Corbett came into office “determined to improve government and taxpayer services.”

“And we at the Department of Revenue focused our resources to deliver on the governor’s commitment,” Meuser said. “The significant improvement in our ranking is a result of the hard work and dedication of the people of the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue.”

Corbett said the acknowledgement underscores the importance of tax appeals reform and highlights the victory accomplished for state taxpayers.

“We have made significant changes over the last few years that make the appeals process more fair, more transparent and more accountable to the taxpayers of Pennsylvania,” Corbett said.

Key changes impacting Pennsylvania’s improved COST ranking include:

• Restructuring the Board of Finance and Revenue within the Treasury department to better address tax appeals functions independently and impartially.

• 2012 legislative changes designed to reduce issues that result in tax appeals and make the appeals process more fair and less cumbersome for taxpayers.

Meuser said that since taking over at the revenue department overhead has been reduced by 16 percent and efficiency in collections has increased dramatically. He said his department has gone from 2,100 employees to 1,900.

“People make less make mistakes because of our level of quality and clear correspondence to taxpayers,” Meuser said. “We strive to answer more questions than we create. When you do these things, voluntary compliance goes up.”

Meuser said taxpayers callbacks have declined. He said the department has replaced its archaic computer system and retained a professional tax integrator.

“We’ve taken more of a tax advocacy approach, rather than tax collection,” Meuser said. “And our collections have increased.”

According to the release, Peter Calcara, vice president of government relations for the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants, called the restructured the Board of Finance and Revenue, “the most significant reforms in Pennsylvania’s tax administration process in more than 20 years.

When the reform takes effect in April, it will replace the current six part-time members of the board with three full-time, independent tax professionals.

(Bill O'Boyle, "Pa. gets high marks for taxation plan," Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader, 12/19/13)