IRIS Overview
What is the Integrated Revenue
Information System (IRIS) Project?
In 1998, the Montana Department of Revenue embarked on a
project to design and implement a custom tax processing system. This project was
called POINTS, for Process Oriented INTegrated System. Because of difficulties
in implementing certain elements of the system, it was determined that continued
stabilization and operation of POINTS would not best serve the State's current
or future needs, and further work was halted. In 2003, the Montana Legislature
approved replacing POINTS with a commercially available tax processing system
(Senate Bill 271, Ch. 597, L.2003), and the IRIS Project was commenced.
What is GenTax?
After
a formal procurement process, the Montana Department of Revenue selected GenTax,
a commercial "off-the-shelf" product that was developed by Fast Enterprises,
LLC, as a user-friendly system covering all areas of tax processing and
administration. The system was designed to be configured relatively easily to
meet the specific business requirements of various taxing authorities. The
GenTax product has been successfully installed in Idaho, New Mexico, British
Columbia and Manitoba. Implementations of GenTax are also underway in Louisiana
and Georgia.
What does the IRIS Project encompass?
The initial phase of the IRIS Project was scheduled to
last approximately one year and included the implementation of a new tax, Rental
Vehicle, and the migration of Withholding, Lodging Facilities, Cigarette and
Combined Oil & Gas taxes to GenTax. This project was completed September
2004. Due to the success of the initial phase of IRIS, authorization was granted to proceed with the IRIS/ICT
project. The IRIS/ICT project encompasses adding Corporate License Tax and Individual Income Tax to
GenTax. This next project is also scheduled to last approximately one year, with Corporate License Tax completed
by the end of January 2005, and Individual Income Tax completed by the end of
September 2005. The Montana Department of Revenue will consider future phases for migrating additional tax types and evaluating other
opportunities to further automate certain business activities, depending on the
availability of funding 
Who will participate in the IRIS Project?
The IRIS
Project was developed with input from all areas of the Montana Department of
Revenue and from outside parties who may be affected by the project. An IRIS
Steering Committee was formed to provide project oversight, and to plan and
coordinate related areas such as change management, communications and
technology. An implementation team was selected to bring representatives from
throughout the agency, along with Fast Enterprises personnel, into the project
on a full time basis. During the course of the project, other individuals will
be designated as extended end users to bring expertise to the project as it is
needed in areas such as system design and testing. This same strategy will be used for the IRIS/ICT project as well.
What are the benefits to Montana?
The new
system will ultimately help the Montana Department of Revenue to provide
enhanced customer services, including easier access to information and increased
ability for electronic filing. It will also enable the agency to better perform
compliance activities, including more consistent billing, easier identification
of late filers and under payers, and a more effective process for identifying
candidates for audit. These should contribute to increased revenues for the
State of Montana. In fact, other jurisdictions that have implemented this system
have seen increases in revenue almost immediately.
The IRIS Project is an important step in increasing the effectiveness of the Montana Department of Revenue and enabling it to provide the best service possible to Montana taxpayers.
