DES MOINES – Iowa taxpayers and businesses now have a fully-integrated, easy-to-use revenue system for tax, alcohol, and lottery operations thanks to the completion of a technology upgrade, the Iowa Department of Revenue announced recently.
A Thursday, Nov. 20 news release said the modernized system allows users to file and pay taxes, obtain business licenses and permits, and easily correspond with the Iowa Department of Revenue. In fact, the five-year project integrated 22 state departments’ legacy systems into one user-friendly system.
The upgrade also paved the way for the launch of several new online services. They include GovConnectIowa, which allows users to complete a variety of tasks securely from anywhere, at any time.
Since the start of the project, more than 400,000 users have created accounts on GovConnectIowa. The department has received over 8.7 million web forms. It has responded to more than 40,000 messages through the portals. The final phased rollout was earlier this month.
Simplified system celebrated
Iowa Department of Revenue Director Mary Mosiman said she is pleased that Iowa taxpayers and businesses now have a simplified system that meets their needs. “Doing business in the state of Iowa is now much easier. The project aligned with Governor Reynolds’ vision of streamlining state government to better serve the people of this great state.”
She added “I am proud of the work of the department and the strong collaboration with other state agencies. And I’m thankful for the feedback we received from citizens, business leaders, and local government officials across the state, as we built and implemented the new system.”
In addition to the Department of Revenue, other state agencies involved are:
- Iowa Finance Authority.
- Iowa Department of Inspections, Licensing, and Appeals.
- Iowa Economic Development Authority.
- Iowa Department of Administrative Services.
- Iowa Utilities Commission.
The program’s success has already been recognized with two prestigious awards. They are the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) Award for Cross-Boundary Collaboration & Partnerships and the State of Iowa Setoff Program Government Experience Project Award for GovConnectIowa. It recognizes innovation and accessibility in modernizing state services.
For more information about the program and descriptions of the portals, visit revenue.iowa.gov/portals.
