Published: December 26, 2007 03:24 pm      

Tax forms cut back

DUNCAN — This tax season, people expecting to get their Oklahoma tax forms at the Duncan Public Library will be in for a surprise.

No state tax forms will be delivered to any libraries, post offices or banks in Oklahoma in the next tax cycle.

Instead, the tax forms will be primarily available online. The Oklahoma Tax Commission will continue to mail tax forms to residents.

Library Director Ann Brown said, “Basically, the State of Oklahoma has decided not to do the bulk mailing. It’s not that we don’t want to carry them. We can’t get them.”

Brown said the library gets quite a few people picking up forms each year and, because of this change, they’ll have to find a way to get the forms or locate a computer to use.

“I’m sure we get at least 500 people in here getting tax forms,” she said.

She said she wasn’t sure how this change would work this year, especially for people who move from out of state or don’t have a computer to use.

“There’s a lot of people who move and the form goes to their old house,” Brown said. “It always seems to penalize the people who can afford it least.”

She said she thought the state was trying to reduce costs by doing away with additional tax forms.

“It’s cost saving for the government because they don’t have to make so many copies,” she said. “Libraries don’t know how many people are going to need the forms, so they always order more. And I guess they aren’t really necessary to print.

“The more they encourage e-filing, the more they don’t have to worry about printing.”

Despite the lack of Oklahoma tax forms, the federal tax forms will still be available at the library, she said. The change will affect only the state forms.

The federal forms will be available starting Jan. 2.

Brown said people can call the taxpayer assistance number at 1-800-522-8165 to request a tax form. The Oklahoma Tax Commission will begin taking requests for forms during the last week of December.

“People can not only request forms, but they can also state they are very upset,” she said.

“It probably won’t do any good this year, but might make a difference next year.”

Although the state tax forms will not be available to be picked up at the library, people can still stop by the library and fill their forms out online.