DEVELOPING WEB TRANSACTIONAL

CAPABILITIES IN ATF

ATF’s E Filing Strategies

GPEA

• Government Paperwork Elimination Act» GPEA

• Signed 10/21/98

• Federal agencies must offer E gov’t in place of paper by 10/21/03

Pay.gov

• Financial Management Service (FMS) builds E gov’t system - Pay.gov

• View Federal agency bill

• Submit forms to agencies

• Authorize payments & collections

• Access information which requires authentication

Pay.gov components

• Forms submittal

• Payments and collections

• Authentication

• Agency reporting

Forms submittal

• ATF forms converted to electronic documents

• Customers select form from menu

• Customers complete form on line

• Form is submitted directly to ATF

Payments and Collections

• Customers can pay taxes, fees, other payments

• Transactions are Automated Clearing House (ACH) debit entries

Authentication

• Electronic Signatures made legal 7/00

• Verification engine verifies information submitted by customer

• Users are identified thru passwords

• Digital signatures and biometrics may be used for some applications

Agency Reporting

• FMS provides detailed information back to agencies

• Format received is at agency discretion

• Information populates agency databases

• On line edits and audits ensure accurate data

ATF Pilot

• ATF will be first agency to pilot Pay.gov

• Pilot with tobacco manufacturers excise tax form

• Start in 10/00

• Add additional forms in 2001

Procedures

• Customers go to ATF web page

• Select E Filing option

• Hyperlinked to Pay.gov

• Login using previously approved password

• Select form to be completed from menu

Form completion

• Form will not look exactly like paper version

• It will be identical in information requested and order of information

• Form will be pre-populated with certain customer data

Form Completion

• Dropdown boxes available for assistance

• Customer enters data in required fields

• Calculations automatically completed

• Entered data appears in all required fields

• Prompt appears asking if data is correct for submittal

Form Completion

• Customer hits “send”

• Customer receives tracking number unique to that transaction

• ACH receipt provided if financial transaction occurred

COLAs

• Certificates of Label Approval (COLA)

• 70,000 received last year

• Interest from industry in e filing COLAs

• May use system outside Pay.gov

• Transmit image of label

• Possibility of industry developing system and “donating” it to ATF

Benefits to Industry

• Reduces taxpayer burden• Meets their need for electronic commerce• Access to government 24/7• Fast• Efficient• Cost effective• Accurate• Productive

Benefits to Government

• Accurate data in our databases

• Faster processing of forms

• Reduction in paper processing & storage

• Better use of government resources

Contact for Information

• Tom Stewart

• Chief Revenue Operations Branch

• Bureau Of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms

• 202-927-8220

• trstewart@atfhq.atf.treas.gov