With just over a month left before the upcoming tax deadline, more Maryland residents are thinking about how they are going to file their taxes this year.  As you prepare your taxes, I'd like to encourage you to file electronically this year.

There are many benefits to filing electronically:

• You will receive your direct deposited refund within 72 hours of filing
• It saves the State money by eliminating paper waste
• It saves you time by allowing you to quickly and easily file online
• If you owe money, you can use direct debit and schedule a payment as late as April 30th

I encourage every Marylander to take advantage of this convenient way of filing their taxes, and for those who owe money, to use direct debit to hold onto their hard-earned dollars longer.  Since its inception in the early 1990's, electronic filing has saved the State roughly $14 million.

I hope to make this process as easy and pain-free as possible. For more information on electronic filling or to file free of charge, please visit my office Web site at www.marylandtaxes.com or call 1-800-MD-TAXES (1-800-638-2937).