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Review

Created: February, 2000

Microsoft TaxSaver Federal Deluxe (Tax Year 1999)

By Lowell Conn, Cyberwalker Media Syndicate

 
If you are a fan of Microsoft Money, if its customizable interface offers you money management nirvana, if you enter every transaction, every debit and credit into your MS Money account ledger, if you plan your financials and create assumptions based on your net worth over the coming five years with MS Money, then go out and get Microsoft TaxSaver Federal Deluxe. It is more of the same interface, same interactivity, same types of video tutorials and a pretty good tax program, to boot. 

For those of you who are not great fans of MS Money or have yet to try it, MS TaxSaver Federal Deluxe is a pretty good tax program that has many of the drawbacks of MS Money and many of the strengths. It is eeasy to use and lays everything out for you in an interactive, checklist sort of way, with nice graphics and a comprehensive engine that points out your mistakes. But it is also laid out in a manner that is somewhat of an eyesore and can seem intimidating and disorganized.

Microsoft is very much enamored with the Internet and, as such, both MS Money and MS TaxSaver are laid out as if they are Web sites with plenty of links to click. Unfortunately, these "Web pages" are not the most intuitively designed and, like Money before it, TaxSaver Deluxe takes a little getting used to.

Everything is presented in a manner that requires you to read all text on screen but once you have done that you will understand where you are going and what you are doing. A plethora of tax guides is available on screen, including an assortment of tax videos that require the CD to be in its drive to view. 

TaxSaver Deluxe allows you to import data from Quicken or MS Money. You fill the return in a very comprehensive checklist interview format and it allows you to bookmark areas where you suspect changes may be required later. This is a particularly thoughtful addition, considering the enormous amount of information most small business owners must enter into their tax software.

One major drawback may kill this deal. TaxSaver offers only federal returns. You'll have to pull out the calculator when handling your state returns. This oversight nullifies many of the benefits of the program. Any tax preparation program that fills this need (and many are out there) instantly catapults itself ahead of Microsoft's offering.

The omission is unfortunate. TaxSaver Deluxe is both easy to use and easy to understand. Most software of this ilk caters to novice computer users or novice tax filers. This program accommodates both groups. If you live in a state with no income tax, enjoy. Otherwise, better move on.

Reviewer's Rating: 3 / 5

Comments: MS Money fans with no need to file state taxes will love Microsoft TaxSaver Federal Deluxe. Everybody else should stay away.

Minimum System Requirements: Multimedia PC with Pentium 90 or higher, 16 MB RAM, 50 to 175 MB hard disk space, a printer with 1 MB memory.

More info: http://taxsaver.msn.com

Price
: $28.95 US

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