Fully-automated system for tax reporting, payment and refund and system for accessing tax information

Abstract

A tax information requestor collects tax information. The tax information requestor connects electronically to an electronic intermediary and/or to a tax data provider. The tax information requestor collects electronically an electronic tax return and/or tax data of a taxpayer from the electronic intermediary. The tax information requestor collects electronically tax data from the tax data provider. A tax information distributor collects tax information. The tax information distributor connects electronically to electronic intermediaries and/or to tax data providers. The tax information distributor collects electronically electronic tax returns and/or tax data of taxpayers from the electronic intermediaries. The tax information distributor collects electronically tax data of taxpayers from the tax data providers. The tax information distributor assembles collected electronic tax returns and/or tax data to obtain assembled tax information of taxpayers.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A method for collecting tax information by a tax information requester comprising the steps of: 
 connecting electronically said tax information requester to an electronic intermediary and/or to a tax data provider;    collecting electronically an electronic tax return and/or tax data of a taxpayer from said electronic intermediary; and    collecting electronically an electronic tax return and/or tax data from said tax data provider.    
     
     
         2 . A method as in    claim 1   , wherein said tax information requestor is electronically connected to said electronic intermediary using an electronic link, and wherein said tax information requestor is electronically connected to said tax data provider using an electronic link.  
     
     
         3 . A method as in    claim 2   , wherein said electronic link comprises telephone communication equipment.  
     
     
         4 . A method as in    claim 2   , wherein said electronic link comprises an electronic data network.  
     
     
         5 . An apparatus as in    claim 4   , wherein said electronic data network is the Internet.  
     
     
         6 . An apparatus as in    claim 1   , wherein said tax data provider is an employer, a partnership, a bank, a savings and loan institution, a mortgage institution, a credit card bureau, a thrift institution, a securities brokerage firm, a mutual find holding institution, a charity, the Internal Revenue Service, or a taxing authority.  
     
     
         7 . A method as in    claim 1   , wherein said tax data is a payroll statement, a bank statement, a savings and loan statement, a mortgage statement, a credit card bureau statement, a thrift institution statement, a brokerage account statement, a mutual fund statement, a charity statement, or a statement relevant for tax purposes.  
     
     
         8 . A method as in    claim 1   , further comprising the step of performing a check of said taxpayer using said electronic tax return and/or tax data collected electronically.  
     
     
         9 . A computer system for performing the method of    claim 1   .  
     
     
         10 . A computer-readable medium comprising a computer program for performing the method of    claim 1   .  
     
     
         11 . An apparatus for collecting tax information by a tax information requestor comprising: 
 means for connecting electronically said tax information requestor to an electronic intermediary and/or to a tax data provider;    means for collecting electronically an electronic tax return and/or tax data from said electronic intermediary; and    means for collecting electronically an electronic tax return and/or tax data from said tax data provider.    
     
     
         12 . An apparatus as in    claim 11   , further comprising means for performing a check of said taxpayer using said electronic tax return and/or tax data collected electronically.  
     
     
         13 . A computer-readable medium embodying a computer program for collecting tax information by a tax information requestor, said computer program comprising code segments for: 
 connecting electronically said tax information requestor to an electronic intermediary and/or to a tax data provider;    collecting electronically an electronic tax return and/or tax data of a taxpayer from said electronic intermediary; and    collecting electronically an electronic tax return and/or tax data from said tax data provider.    
     
     
         14 . An computer-readable medium as in    claim 13   , further comprising code segments for performing a check of said taxpayer using said electronic tax return and/or tax data collected electronically.  
     
     
         15 . A method for collecting tax information by a tax information distributor comprising the steps of: 
 connecting electronically said tax information distributor to a plurality of electronic intermediaries and/or to a plurality of tax data providers;    collecting electronically electronic tax returns of taxpayers and/or tax data of taxpayers from said electronic intermediaries;    collecting electronically electronic tax returns of taxpayers and/or tax data of taxpayers from said tax data providers;    assembling collected electronic tax returns of taxpayers and/or tax data of taxpayers to obtain assembled tax information of taxpayers.    
     
     
         16 . A method as in    claim 15   , wherein said tax information distributor is electronically connected to said electronic intermediary using an electronic link, and wherein said tax information distributor is electronically connected to said tax data provider using an electronic link.  
     
     
         17 . A method as in    claim 16   , wherein said electronic link comprises telephone communication equipment.  
     
     
         18 . A method as in    claim 16   , wherein said electronic link comprises an electronic data network.  
     
     
         19 . An apparatus as in    claim 18   , wherein said electronic data network is the Internet.  
     
     
         20 . An apparatus as in    claim 15   , wherein said at least one tax data provider is an employer, a partnership, a bank, a savings and loan institution, a mortgage institution, a credit card bureau, a thrift institution, a securities brokerage firm, a mutual find holding institution, a charity, the Internal Revenue Service, or a taxing authority.  
     
     
         21 . A method as in    claim 15   , wherein said tax data is a payroll statement, a bank statement, a savings and loan statement, a mortgage statement, a credit card bureau statement, a thrift institution statement, a brokerage account statement, a mutual fund statement, a charity statement, or a statement relevant for tax purposes.  
     
     
         22 . A method as in    claim 15   , wherein said assembled tax information comprises demographics and/or statistics regarding said taxpayers.  
     
     
         23 . A method as in    claim 15   , further comprising the steps of: 
 connecting electronically said tax information distributor to a tax information requestor;    providing electronically a portion of said assembled tax information to said tax information requestor.    
     
     
         24 . A method as in    claim 23   , wherein said tax information distributor is electronically connected to said tax information requestor using an electronic link.  
     
     
         25 . An apparatus as in    claim 24   , wherein said electronic data network is the Internet.  
     
     
         26 . A computer system for performing the method of    claim 15   .  
     
     
         27 . A computer-readable medium comprising a computer program for performing the method of    claim 15   .  
     
     
         28 . An apparatus for collecting tax information by a tax information distributor comprising: 
 means for connecting electronically said tax information distributor to a plurality of electronic intermediaries and/or to a plurality of tax data providers;    means for collecting electronically electronic tax returns of taxpayers and/or tax data of taxpayers from said electronic intermediaries;    means for collecting electronically electronic tax returns of taxpayers and/or tax data of taxpayers from said tax data providers;    means for assembling collected electronic tax returns of taxpayers and/or tax data of taxpayers to obtain assembled tax information of taxpayers.    
     
     
         29 . An apparatus as in    claim 28   , further comprising the steps of: 
 means for connecting electronically said tax information distributor to a tax information requestor;    means for providing electronically a portion of said assembled tax information to said tax information requester.    
     
     
         30 . A computer-readable medium embodying a computer program for collecting tax information by a tax information distributor, said computer program comprising code segments for: 
 connecting electronically said tax information distributor to a plurality of electronic intermediaries and/or to a plurality of tax data providers;    collecting electronically electronic tax returns of taxpayers and/or tax data of taxpayers from said electronic intermediaries;    collecting electronically electronic tax returns of taxpayers and/or tax data of taxpayers from said tax data providers;    assembling collected electronic tax returns of taxpayers and/or tax data of taxpayers to obtain assembled tax information of taxpayers.    
     
     
         31 . A computer-readable medium as in    claim 30   , further comprising code segments for: 
 connecting electronically said tax information distributor to a tax information requestor;    providing electronically a portion of said assembled tax information to said tax information requestor.    
     
     
         32 . A method for collecting tax information by a tax information requestor comprising the steps of: 
 connecting electronically said tax information requestor to a tax information distributor;    collecting electronically assembled tax information of at least one taxpayer from said tax information distributor, said assembled tax information of at least one taxpayer based on at least one electronic tax return of said at least one taxpayer and/or tax data of said at least one taxpayer obtained electronically by said tax information distributor.    
     
     
         33 . A computer system for performing the method of    claim 32   .  
     
     
         34 . A computer-readable medium comprising a computer program for performing the method of    claim 32   .