State departments of revenue play a vital role in our civic ecosystem — they make possible many of the public services and programs we enjoy on a day-to-day basis.
From registering small businesses to offering programs for community and economic development, these entities are important beacons of financial responsibility. Still, one of our most frequent interactions with these agencies — tax season — tends to be a stressful time for many Americans. It can be difficult enough for native English speakers to wade through all the rules and regulations regarding our taxes. For taxpayers with limited English proficiency (LEP), it can be even more frustrating.
While it may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of tax season, language access is key to upholding the legal rights of all taxpayers and ensuring that residents with LEP understand how to submit their business and individual taxes in an accurate and timely fashion.
With tax season 2024 finally behind us, it’s worth taking a step back to look at how state departments of revenue can enact language access measures that simplify the next tax season for Americans with LEP
Here at Avantpage, we offer translation, localization, and other language services to several different government offices and agencies that deal with taxes and revenue, such as:
- Tax Appeals Offices
- Departments of Financial Institutions
- Departments of Financial Protection and Innovation
- Finance Campaign Boards
- Departments of Revenue
- Tax Call Centers
- Secured Tax Units
- Departments of Financial Institutions
- Offices of Financial Management
- Departments of Financial Protection and Innovation
State departments of revenue typically seek a wide range of language services, including translation, over-the-phone interpreting, and alternative format services (braille, large print, audio recordings), just to name a few. These offices can reduce overhead and improve their efficiency by improving their language access — be it through multilingual outreach to translating vital documents and communications with taxpayers.
Read on to learn a little bit more about how language access measures can help state departments of revenue across the country better serve taxpayers across the country.
1. Reduce Agency Overhead
It can be tricky enough for English speakers to understand what’s going on with their taxes. In order to improve your agency’s efficiency, clear, easy-to-understand communication is absolutely critical. Language access streamlines things for taxpayers with LEP, as it allows them to understand what they need to do to comply with tax rules and regulations.
Multilingual outreach efforts and translating communications into high-demand languages can ultimately save you money in the long run. When LEP taxpayers can understand and fulfill their tax obligations voluntarily and accurately, it decreases the need for enforcement actions and audits which can be costly to your agency — keep in mind that the cost of translating a few vital documents is almost certain to be far less than the cost of auditing hundreds or even thousands of taxpayers.
By investing in a comprehensive suite of language services, state departments of revenue can also minimize delays in funding for essential government services, directly benefiting the community they serve.
2. Increased Revenue from Immigrant Taxpayers
State departments of revenue benefit financially from providing language access to immigrant taxpayers. After all, if you’re not communicating rules and regulations to immigrant taxpayers in their language, they may not know or fully understand how to comply.
Immigrants often pay taxes at higher rates and have higher rates of business ownership compared to their native-born counterparts, meaning that your city or state could be missing out on an important source of revenue if you’re not communicating effectively with taxpayers who have LEP.
Translating relevant tax laws, regulations, and compliance requirements into multiple languages can ultimately allow revenue agencies to ensure immigrant taxpayers are contributing their fair share to the state’s revenue stream.
3. Efficient Government Administration
State departments of revenue serve to collect taxes and distribute them to government agencies that provide critical public services and programs — effective revenue collection is necessary to efficient government services and administration.
By providing language access, state departments of revenue can streamline their own operations, reduce administrative burdens, and enhance overall efficiency. This enhanced efficiency ultimately enables more effective redistribution of funds to support statewide goals, such as economic development, education, and public safety.
Summary
State departments of revenue play a crucial role in fostering compliance with tax laws and ensuring the availability of revenue to fund government programs. By prioritizing language access, you can unlock three key benefits:
- Reduced agency overhead: Language services reduce the need for enforcement actions and cost your agency far less than auditing taxpayers or going to collections over non-compliance.
- Increased revenue from immigrant taxpayers: Immigrants tend to pay more in taxes and have high rates of business ownership. Effective communication encourages compliance with local tax rules and regulations.
- Efficient government administration: By streamlining the revenue collection process, state departments of revenue can distribute tax funding across government agencies more efficiently.
At Avantpage, we’ve worked with several state departments of revenue and their offices to improve language access and reduce noncompliance among taxpayers with LEP. See for yourself how our language and accessibility services can benefit your team — contact us today at [email protected] or (530) 750-2040.
