More individual taxpayers use e-filing

The IRS has happier customers among individual taxpayers who filed their 2001 returns online, according to a survey.The service garnered an 11 percent annual increase in satisfaction among individual tax filers over 2000’s tax season, and a 22 percent increase over 1999, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index. The index is produced by a partnership of the University of Michigan Business School, the American Society for Quality, and the CFI Group, a consultant firm in Ann Arbor, Mich.The survey shows how the IRS reorganization and its emphasis on customer service are paying off, IRS commissioner Charles O. Rossotti said in a press release. “The satisfaction with IRS e-file won’t surprise any taxpayer who has used it. When they try it, they like it. It is fast, accurate and dependable,” he said.Taxpayers filed more than 130 million individual returns during last year’s tax season. Nearly 40 million were filed electronically, a 13 percent increase over 2000. The survey found that 78 percent of respondents who filed electronically said they would do it again.