E-filing IRS Form 2290: A Solution for the HVUT That Makes Sense |
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James Druman
December 24, 2009
James Druman
http://www.superiorcontentcreation.com
The Heavy Vehicle Use Tax, or IRS Form 2290, is set up to help provide funding to upkeep the roads, and the reasoning is that these large vehicles, which spend so much time on the road, do a lot more damage than normal vehicles driven by everyday citizens.
At about 55,000 pounds and more with a full load, the toll commercial vehicles of this size take on the road over time can be quite extensive. The tax helps pay for maintenance and upkeep as well as a variety of other programs that keep our roads functioning properly.
While most drivers understand the need for a tax like this, it doesn't make it any less of a nuisance to find the time to go pay it, but did you know that you can just log onto the web and get it handled no matter where you are or what your schedule?
The Old School Nuisance
In the past, businesspeople had to find the time away from running their vehicles and offices to show up at the Internal Revenue Service in person. This often meant long lines, the cold indifference of any bureaucracy reminding you why you never wanted to go in in the first place, and a good chunk out of the day to take the detour.
For many, there just aren't enough hours in the day for this kind of time-waster.
The Snail Mail Option
The only other option available was to file your IRS Form 2290 via the post office. Fill out the form--which could at the time be at least downloaded from the net--fill it out, and send it in. While that sometimes seemed like enough of a convenience, it also meant you had to wait for a stamped copy of the Schedule 1 form to come into the mail.
But authorities often ask to see a driver's stamped form, and not having it in possession not only leads to closer scrutiny, which can be a time-waster itself, but prevents drivers from leasing vehicles or even applying for insurance.
So in the end, the slow nature of the United States Postals Service was not the answer truckers needed.
An IRS Form 2290 Solution for the Modern Era
But eight years into the new millennium, we finally got a solution that made sense. The Internal Revenue Service realized the need for something more convenient and efficient, so they worked together with a handful of private companies, offering training and guidelines, and the end result was a system in which taxpayers responsible for the Heavy Vehicle Use Tax could go online and file their Form 2290.
How it Works
It is not filed with the Internal Revenue Service itself but with any of the companies approved by the IRS to provide this service. You fork over a reasonable fee, fill out the paperwork online, and submit the form. And to eliminate the slow processes as they existed with the post, you can immediately download and print a watermarked Schedule 1 to carry with you while on the road.
The End Result
What the efile option for the IRS form 2290 has done is create a system that makes sense and is easy to adhere to. So easy, in fact, that if a trucking business owns 25 or more heavy vehicles, it is mandatory that they use the online service. The software make sit easier to ensure no vehicle identification numbers are registered more than once and cuts down on mistakes, which were so commonplace in the past.
What we have now is an efficient relationship between the government and the leaders of business, and that's the way it should be.
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Have you filed your Heavy Vehicle Use Tax this year? If not, filing online might be the way to get it done and get it done instantly. To find out more, head over to http://www.YourTruckTax.com . And keep on trucking.