Focusing on Serving the Taxpayer

The Department of Taxation and Finance is dedicated to continuous improvements in our operations. An integral part of this focus is a commitment to finding ways to perform our job “Better, Faster, Smarter and Cheaper.” The following initiatives illustrate how we have examined our processes and streamlined them to provide the very best service to the taxpayers of New York State over the last two years.

Better:

Expanded outsourcing of collection inventory to include uncollectible in-state accounts.
Expanded utilization on Interactive Voice Response technology to increase the scope and productivity of call center collection services.
Increased the Department’s collection recovery rate by 30 percent.
Introduced a new Child Support Enforcement Inbound Phone Procedure that allows the Department to increase productivity by having more representatives available to perform casework.
Reorganized and merged Personal Income Tax and Corporation Tax Field Audit Bureaus to improve effectiveness and provide taxpayers with “one stop auditing.”
Expanded audit programs on refundable credits and fraudulent refund claims to stop or prevent abuse.
Continued to expand partnerships with other government agencies such as the New York City Department of Finance and the New York State Department of Labor to share resources, knowledge and experience.
Aggressively promoted the use of electronic filing to reduce filing errors.
Reorganized the Transaction and Transfer Tax Bureau to provide better service to taxpayers.

Faster:

Streamlined the review process for offers-in-compromise resulting in quicker resolution.
Established the Tax Shelter Audit unit and increased communication and cooperation with the IRS on tax shelter audits to improve effectiveness and efficiency.
Established a joint audit program for the banking industry with the IRS and New York City to improve efficiency and taxpayer service.
Reduced backlogs and improved the processing of returns to issue faster refunds.

Smarter:

Increased productivity of District Office collections through improved screening of collection inventory for staff assignment.
Increased use of information databases such as Lexis-Nexis, Westlaw and on-line phone directories to improve collection results.
Developed a tracking system to monitor Child Support Enforcement casework by tracking outstanding items, identifying backlogs and monitoring staff performance.
Redesigned Installment Payment Agreement notices to improve clarity and increase response rate.
Improved training in all tax programs to enhance auditors’ and technicians’ knowledge, and to share best practices between district offices and between desk and field operations.
The Office of Tax Enforcement adopted a new Case Management System to track evidence better and improve search and reporting capabilities.

Cheaper:

Improved procedures for the sale of seized vehicles to reduce process costs and increase collection results.
Expanded Computer Assisted Audits to improve efficiency and provide improved taxpayer service.
The Department utilizes alternative fuel vehicles to protect the environment and reduce operational costs.
Reduced the number of Department employees through attrition and retirement and reorganized operations to require fewer employees to provide superior service.

Last Modified: November 14, 2003