Another day of education about the industry begins!
M & M Blitz
Officers Andrew Markel and David Couprie discussed the M&M Blitz which occurs every March and May when heavy enforcement checks are conducted. In March and May, law enforcement does special road side stops to test fuel (no dyed diesel folks) and to check the validity of IFTA and IRP Credentials.
The goal is to create uniformity between the US and Canada and throughout all the jurisdictions so that carriers know what to expect when they are stopped by Highway Patrol.
The short version
Each May and March, be ready to be stopped and have all your credentials checked. We’ll have a more in depth article on this in the future.
HVUT or Form 2290
There is a big push from us here at 2290Tax to get your Stamped Schedule 1 to the states electronically which coincides with the big push from the states to receive that data electronically. We think it will make the jobs of everyone (such as jurisdictions and carriers) at registration time easier. Computers can double check VIN’s a lot easier and faster then a person at the jurisdiction. And a computer can see that oh-so-light-IRS-Watermark even if the printer doesn’t print it clearly.
A few things are clear to everyone, there is a problem with the Stamped Schedule 1. The stamp is too light, and the paper is easily lost or misunderstood. A bad fax or unclear copies are causing headaches for everyone.
There are a few obstacles to overcome, and we’ll write another article about that as things get closer to happening. But please feel free to tell us what you think. Write an email to support@2290Tax.com with your thoughts on this idea. Your feedback will be extremely valuable to the process.
Town Hall
In the Town Hall at the end of the conference we discussed Electronic Credentials again, Data Quality, Taxpayer Privacy, and the “early use of IFTA Stickers.”
An in-depth write up about “electronic credentials” is headed your way soon, so we’ll touch on that all at once.
Data quality has to do with standards between the jurisdictions. They threw around a lot of acronyms (AAMVA, PRISM, CVIEW…) but the bottom line is that enforcement is difficult across jurisdictional lines if there are not standards. Getting every jurisdiction on the same page is a feet of monstrous proportions and it sounds like it will be a topic of next year’s meeting.
Taxpayer Privacy was also discussed and even more acronyms were thrown around (this time it was DPPA – Driver Privacy Protection Act) but this is a place where industry should speak up. What protection is necessary? And what is a hindrance to business? Each jurisdiction is different, but it seems like a standard would be helpful to industry, and therefore to the jurisdictions as well.
Closing Remarks
That wraps up the highlights from the conference. If you would like a copy of my original notes, please feel free to email us at support@2290Tax.comt to request the information. We’ll be happy to send them your way.
Written by Casey Bullard