Des Moines, Iowa — Iowa’s top tax man says the computer systems that handle tax collections in 38 other states have been modernized in the past decade.
Iowa Department of Revenue director Kraig Paulsen is asking lawmakers to spend tens of millions over the next five years to replace HIS agency’s ancient computer networks.
It will cost the state about 18 million dollars THIS year alone to keep those systems running. Paulsen warns it’s getting harder to find people to fix things because they have to know COBOL — a computer programming language created in 1959.
The digital upgrade Paulsen envisions would let Iowa taxpayers log on and see their returns on the department’s website – and check both payments and refunds.
Paulsen says the companies he’s investigated build systems that send reminders to taxpayers, too. The nearly 90 million dollar project Paulsen proposes includes upgrading computer systems for the Iowa Lottery and the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Commission at the same time. The project would take three to five years to complete.
