It's not all doom and gloom at tax season

    EDMONTON, March 13 /CNW/ - Here's a surprise: many Canadians actually
like doing their taxes. According to a recent survey by Decima Research and
Intuit Canada, makers of QuickTax and QuickTaxWeb, attitudes are changing
about tax time as almost half (48 per cent) of Canadians who do their own
taxes admit to enjoying the task of filing their returns. Of the Canadians who
don't file their own returns, they avoid or choose not to do their own taxes
due to lack of confidence (29 per cent), perceived difficulty (26 per cent)
and lack of time (24 per cent).
    Why do some people enjoy doing their taxes? For many, it's because
they've made the switch from time-consuming manual filing to tax software like
QuickTaxWeb or QuickTax, Canada's No. 1 best-selling tax preparation program.
Gone are the days of paper forms, thick tax guides and last-minute panic. Say
hello to tax software: accurate calculations, valuable guidance and fast
refunds.

    Adding it up with tax software
    Almost half (46 per cent) of those preparing their own tax return or
having a family member, friend or spouse prepare it will be using tax
preparation software this year.
    "It's great to know that we provide taxpayers with the tools to take
control of their taxes," says Yves Millette, president and CEO of Intuit
Canada. "We hope to help those Canadians still struggling to do their own
taxes with the easiest and most accurate tax preparation software on the
market, backed by our accuracy guarantee."
    For those Canadians who fear the difficulty of doing their own taxes,
leading tax software programs offer step-by-step guidance. QuickTax uses the
EasyStep(TM) Interview, which asks plain-language questions and shows users
videos to explain more where necessary. The new QuickTax EasyStep Express
interview further simplifies and speeds up the tax process for those with
less-complicated tax situations.

    Tax time can be lunchtime
    No time? Online tax solutions make it easy for Canadians to do their own
taxes anytime and anywhere. That should please busy Ontarians: close to
one-third (28 per cent) of residents who had someone else do their taxes last
year did so because they lacked the time. Most Web-based solutions, such as
QuickTaxWeb, let users access their return from any computer with an Internet
connection. Users can begin their taxes, save changes, logout and return at
their convenience.
    Almost one-third (29 per cent) of those who don't do their own taxes
dread tax time because they're not convinced that they can get the best return
on their own. This group will be happy to learn that QuickTax offers a 100 per
cent accuracy guarantee on its calculations, unique to Canadian tax software.
With recommendations to help ensure users don't make mistakes - or, if they
do, to correct those mistakes before they file their returns - QuickTax even
double-checks returns for errors.
    Calvin Docksteader of Regina says QuickTax has given him the confidence
to prepare his return on his own. "It's easy to use," he says, "and I feel
confident that it has helped me produce an accurate return, which in turn
means the best possible refund."

    I want my money back, money back, money back
    Even if many Canadians don't like filing their taxes, most should enjoy
the outcome: the refund. And for those who file using tax software like
QuickTax, they can both enjoy the process of filing and look forward to
getting even more money back, thanks to features like the RRSP Maximizer and
spousal-contribution optimizers.
    When it comes to spending those refunds, 75 per cent of Canadians
surveyed said their tax return would go to practical use, such as paying off
loans or investing. From a regional perspective, 24 per cent of Ontarians plan
to pay off loans with their return this year, 28 per cent of Albertans will
spend it going on vacation and 23 per cent of Quebecers will expend it in
other frivolous ways.Additional survey highlights
    -   British Columbians (31 per cent) are least likely to enjoy preparing
        their taxes
    -   Canadians aged 25 to 34 (64 per cent), employed Canadians (54 per
        cent) and those with an income over $60K (61 per cent) are more
        likely to use tax software
    -   Less than one in four (23 per cent) Canadians trust Prime Minister
        Stephen Harper to spend their tax dollars
    -   Regionally, more Albertans trust Stephen Harper (44 per cent), while
        Ontarians (19 per cent) and Quebecers (13 per cent) would trust
        Stéphane Dion
    -   Eleven per cent of those polled nationally would trust Wayne Gretzky
        to spend their tax dollars, compared to nine per cent for Rick Mercer
        and seven per cent for the NDP's Jack LaytonQuickTax makes preparation easy and accurate
    The top-selling tax software in Canada, QuickTax offers users an
'EasyStep' interview to provide new and experienced users with step-by-step
guidance and is available on CD-ROM and by download. Users can prepare up to
five returns per QuickTax product, plus an unlimited number for those with
incomes below $25,000. Intuit Canada's popular Web-based program QuickTaxWeb
is ideal for those who prefer the convenience of preparing their taxes online.
Clickable screens make it simple to jump back-and-forth through the interview
process, making it easier to review and make changes to a return.

    About the Survey
    The Decima data was gathered from February 15 to February 18, 2007
through Decima's weekly teleVox, the company's national omnibus survey.
Results are based on a sample of 1,015 Canadians, and the corresponding margin
of error is 3.1 per cent, 19 times out of 20.

    About Intuit Canada
    Intuit Canada is a leading provider of business, financial and tax
management solutions for small- and mid-sized businesses, consumers and
accounting professionals. Key products and services include Quicken(R),
QuickBooks(R), QuickBooks(R) Succès PME, QuickTax, and ImpôtRapide(MC). Intuit
Canada directly, or through its partners, offers ProFile(R), a professional
tax preparation software suite, the QuickBooks ProAdvisor Program, the Intuit
Developer Network for professional users and developers and other products and
services. Intuit Canada and its partners enable individuals, small businesses,
retailers and financial professionals to better manage their personal and
business finances. Visit Intuit Canada's partner sites at www.intuit.ca and
www.accountant.intuit.ca. Intuit Canada is headquartered in Edmonton, with
employees in many cities throughout the country, including Calgary, Toronto,
Montreal and Ottawa. Intuit Canada is a subsidiary of Intuit Inc., which is
listed on the NASDAQ stock market under the symbol INTU.

    QuickTax is the registered mark of LexisNexis Canada Inc., used by Intuit
    Canada under license.