MONTGOMERY, May 2, 2019 – The Alabama Department of Revenue has been awarded a 2019 FTA Award from the Federation of Tax Administrators for the department’s innovative Electronic Voluntary Disclosure Agreement Process, which launched October 2018.

“The department is honored to receive this recognition from our peers across the country,” said Revenue Commissioner Vernon Barnett. “We will continue to implement the latest technologies that help us serve Alabama taxpayers in the most efficient and effective manner possible.”

Alabama’s Electronic Voluntary Disclosure Agreement Process is an online portal (https://vda.revenue.alabama.gov/) through which Voluntary Disclosure Agreements are submitted and managed. The portal improves efficiency, provides tracking, and speeds up the process for taxpayers and ADOR alike. FTA judges were particularly impressed with the fact that the automated, electronic approach allows anonymous applications, which has led to greater participation. One judge said, “I wish I had thought of this one.”

FTA Award winners are programs or ideas that demonstrate “that special something.” Winners were selected by a panel of retired FTA Board of Trustee presidents. ADOR will be honored at the 2019 FTA Annual Meeting, June 23-26, in Indianapolis.

The Federation of Tax Administrators is a nonprofit organization composed of the tax and revenue departments of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, New York City and Philadelphia. Its mission is to improve the standards and methods of tax administration.