The Tax Administration Software (TAS) is a tool to assist Tax Administrators working for First Nation governments through the complete annual tax cycle: assessments, budgeting, rate approval, tax notices, collection and enforcement. This new software addresses the administrative rules and requirements resulting from s.83 of the Indian Act, the First Nations Financial and Statistical Management Act and First Nation Tax Commission Standards.
• Simple, trouble-free operation Easy layout for intuitive navigation On-the-Fly budget and tax rate editing tool Search tool for easy folio look-up
• Valuable functionality Seamless import of assessment data Supports several methods of tax rate calculation Automatic tax notice generation with various options • Confidence in managing data Create multiple districts with multiple tax rates Meaningful reports built-in Integration with financial management software
Review the TAS Tutorial Video
Upon launching, the TAS User will be asked to enter the initial set-up information including user name(s), passwords, band information, districts and property class multiples. These settings allow the tax administrator to tailor the reports and other functions with their specific requirements. The main sections of TAS, and example functions of each section, are:
There are several resources available to the TAS user: 1. TAS Video Tutorial (see below) 2. TAS User Guide clilck here Please note this is a PDF document and requires Adobe Acrobat to open. 3. One-on-One support is included in annual fees
In-depth and formal training for the Tax Administration Software is available through the Tulo Centre of Indigenous Economics course APEC 164 Administration: Tax Notices, Collecting and Enforcement. This course is part of the accredited Certificate in First Nation Tax Administration. APEC 164 Administration is available in both online and executive style formats. The online version allows students to participate via the internet over a period of eight weeks. The executive style format brings students together for a week-long intensive session. The course is about managing a First Nation and/or local government tax administration system. It focuses on taxpayer notification, and local revenue billing, collecting and enforcement. Best practices from systems across Canada will be presented along with the regulatory requirements associated with the First Nations Fiscal and Statistical Management Act (FSMA). A substantial portion of the course will be devoted to using the Tax Administration Software (TAS) specialized software designed for local revenue administration. Prerequisites: An Introduction to First Nation Taxation
Technical Support is available, and included in the annual fees. Support services include: • Quarterly updates • Remote setup assistance • Network setup assistance • User help desk • Remote trouble shooting of TAS errors • Custom report generation • Tax notice help
We also want to hear from you! If you have any feedback regarding the use or functions of TAS, please let us know. Comments are collected and incorporated where possible into software updates.
“It’s been wonderful to have an opportunity to help shape the new tax administration software. Tax administrator feedback has been used to develop a product designed for our unique needs. I found the software extremely easy to learn. We entered our tax payments at record speed this year. TAS has already become a critical tool which I keep open on my desktop all day long. I'd like to thank the FNTC for creating TAS and for providing the resources and direction to the team. Sarah, Mark and Derek have been very responsive and dedicated to the project.” - Christina Clarke, Tax Administrator for Songhees First Nation
The First Nations Tax Commission (FNTC) development of TAS has taken place over the past two years (2007-2009) and we now have a successful new software program to support the administration of the First Nations tax system. This project has included the participation of FNTC staff, many tax administrators and other professional who came together with a common purpose, to create administration software that works, is user friendly and will support the First Nations tax system for the long term. The FNTC and Tulo released the pilot version of TAS in May 2009. The purpose of the pilot version was to test the software with a control group of First Nations in order to develop a user friendly, field tested application. TAS developers received feedback from TAS users and have released multiple updates since May 2009. These updates reflect the users’ feedback and have improved and refined the current TAS software package. The FNTC has supported the progress of the software throughout the development stage. TAS has been designed to help First Nations tax administrations accurately implement legislative requirements and maintain compliance with FNTC policies and standards. TAS is completing the development stage and a new version of TAS will be ready for release in January 2010. The new version of TAS will include the following items: • Enforcement module • New and updated reports • Updated payment procedures • Refined and updated internal procedures Everyone involved with TAS is confident that the new version will meet the objectives of the tax system and complete the TAS project development phase.
TAS Tutorial Video
The TAS Tutorial is intended to familiarize the tax administrators using the new program with the features and functions of TAS. The tutorial will go through the set-up routine, importing assessment data, setting the rates and printing the tax notices.
