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52 THE RURAL VOICE
Ag riTec h
Revenue Canada goes on-line
By Janice Becker
With just weeks to go before the
deadline for filing income tax returns,
now is the time to begin looking for
assistance, advice or general
information related to that task we all
love.
The Revenue Canada site at
www.rc.gc.ca/, is a place where
visitors can plow through endless
pages of information related to the
general returns as
well as guidelines
for specific bus-
inesses.
There has been a
lot of talk in
recent years about
filing on-line,
through EFILE or
TELEFILE.
However, I found the downloading of
forms almost impossible.
With an older version of Netscape
(3) as my browser, my attempts to
download paperwork were thwarted
by the need for a plug-in.
Plug -ins are generally used to
extend the capabilities of your
browser.
However, when I tried to find the
correct plug-in for my version, I was
told one was not available in the
PostScript form under which I had
looked. This method also required a
PostScript compatible printer which
I doubt mine is. It is a dinosaur.
The tax forms can be downloaded
through a PDF file as long as there is
a free Adobe Acrobat Reader in your
machine.
After much searching through my
hard drive, I discovered this may
have been an alternative, but decided
it would probably be easier to pick up
the forms at the local post office.
Another option is to order the
forms through the site, a viable
alternative as I sat looking out my
window at an extremely blustery day.
The site does offer information on
EFILE, a service where a third party
completes the return and files it with
the government through secure lines.
TELEFILE gives taxpayers the
opportunity to file over the telephone.
The Revenue Canada site is most
helpful in providing details through
written material specific to areas such
Finding
incomes tax
advice,
assistance
on-line
as self-employment, medical
deductions, material for the disabled
and instalment payment.
It offers answers to the most
frequently asked questions, listed as
FAQs, as well as recent news releases
and changes for this year's tax
filings.
Material particular to agriculture
can be found either through the
search option or at www.rc.gc.ca/cgi-
bin/jsearch2.cgi.
If help in filing your taxes would
be more useful, there are sites for
consultants such as Farm Business
Consultants, billed as Canada's Farm
Tax Experts, which can be found at
www.fbc.ca.
Though FBC provides basic
information about the company,
services offered and a few tips to
consider at income tax time, the full
benefit is achieved after becoming a
member. The opportunity to register
is presented on almost every page of
the site.
Stories from their newsletter related
to Y2K updates, NISA interim
withdrawals and tax planning can be
read, however, they are somewhat
dated.
Other agencies can be located by
entering the company name through a
search engine. Numerous software
programs for 1999 income taxes are
also available at many stores.
On a side note, many sites display
high-quality graphics which may
cover a large portion of the screen. If
your loading of sites has slowed, one
alternative is to shut off the "auto
image load" option. The sites are not
as attraction and you may miss some
valuable aspects depending on the
locations visited, but it does improve
speed. On Netscape 3, the shut-off is
located under `option" listed across
the top of the screen.
For readers who have been unable
to connect to the Maple Info site
through the web address indicated in
the February edition, try linking
through Agri Link at
131.104.112.18/default.hlm.
Feedback and input is welcome.
Write to becker@wcl.on.ca.
Janice Becker is a computer
enthusiast and journalist living near
Walton, ON.