Press Release
- Date:
- Monday, July 29, 2002
- Contact:
- David Peikin
- Phone:
- (301) 918-0818
- Email:
- G1@schwartz-pr.com
State of Florida Department of Revenue
and Group 1 Software Launch
Web-Based Tax Jurisdiction Solution
New Solution Helps Communications Services Providers Comply with Recent Federal and State Legislation
Tallahassee, FL and Lanham, MD — The Florida Department of Revenue (DOR) and Group 1 Software (Nasdaq: GSOF), a leading provider of customer relationship management (CRM)-enabling software solutions, today announced that its jointly developed solution for tax jurisdiction assignment is now available online at http://geotax.state.fl.us. The Web-based service lets communications services providers download the most recent county and statewide databases of address listings for tax jurisdiction assignment, ensuring that accurate rate information is applied to customer addresses. As a result, revenues from the state's streamlined telecommunications tax can be distributed more accurately to the proper municipal and county jurisdictions. With the new service, Florida is the first state to provide address listing files that comply with the provisions of the federal Mobile Telecommunications Sourcing Act, which goes into effect this Thursday, August 1.
The jointly developed service enables local governments to update tax jurisdiction information via the Web, providing for timeliness and accuracy in tax collection and increased efficiency in the allocation of tax revenues to local governments. The service also enables state administrators to maintain accurate databases and allows local governments to post database changes, such as city annexations, continuously and securely via the Web for state approval. DOR can access the solution to certify the accuracy of providers' tax jurisdiction assignments. The new solution also facilitates implementation of and compliance with Florida's Communications Services Tax Simplification Law.
“With this innovative technology, we can offer improved service to Florida's citizens, businesses and local governments through increased access to high-quality, timely tax jurisdiction information,” said Dr. Jim Zingale, executive director of the Florida Department of Revenue. “This is another example of how citizens, businesses and government are seeing real benefit from the advanced technology developed by information-industry leaders like Group 1 Software.”
"This solution will offer tremendous value to the DOR, local governments, communications providers, and Florida's taxpayers,” said Martin Sohovich, Group 1's GeoTAX product director. “With the Mobile Telecommunications Sourcing Act going into effect, businesses and governmental bodies will increasingly require robust, secure applications for tax jurisdiction assignment and tax collection.”
The solution incorporates Group 1's GeoTAX solution and its HotData Web service. GeoTAX is a comprehensive suite of tools that standardizes customer addresses and appends information regarding state, county, municipal place, and special tax jurisdictions, providing the most current, accurate tax jurisdiction assignment information. HotData is a hosted service providing the flexibility to verify, standardize and append data for real-time environments as well as databases and CRM applications housing existing data.
Group 1 Software (Nasdaq: GSOF) is a leading provider of customer relationship management (CRM)-enabling software solutions for data quality, marketing automation, customer relationship communications and direct marketing applications. Group 1's software systems and services enable 2,500 customers worldwide to market smarter by helping them find, reach and keep customers. Founded in 1982 and headquartered in Lanham, Maryland, Group 1's solutions are utilized by leaders in the financial services, banking, retail, telecommunications, utilities, e-commerce, and insurance industries. The company's customer base includes such recognized names as AT&T, Charles Schwab, Entergy, GEICO, L.L. Bean, and Wal-Mart. For more information about Group 1, visit the company's Web site at http://www.g1.com.