Municipal personal property tax compliance method, system, and computer program product

A computer readable medium encoded with a software data structure for auditing a personal property declaration, wherein executing said software

• wherein executing the software includes automatically analyzing the personal property declaration to detect possible inaccuracies, by comparing the personal property declaration with data provided by other personal property declarations, and
• wherein at least one of the possible inaccuracies is detected and the software data structure generates a report that identifies at least some of said possible inaccuracies,
• wherein said personal property declaration is a report of taxable property from a filer who is an individual or a business,
• wherein at least one of said other personal property declarations pertains to a type of commerce that is engaged in by the filer,
• wherein the analyzing includes calculating a ratio of a category of assets to a larger amount of assets reported on the personal property declaration, and
• wherein the comparing includes comparing the ratio to a corresponding ratio calculated for one or more of the other personal property declarations,
• wherein said at least one of the possible inaccuracies is detected when said comparing indicates that said ratio is substantially different from said corresponding ratio;
• and
• wherein said personal property is movable and is reported and recorded at most in said personal property declarations.

A system for auditing a personal property declaration, the system comprising:

• a processor for automatically analyzing the personal property declaration to detect possible inaccuracies, by comparing the personal property declaration with data provided by other personal property declarations;
• a memory unit for storing the data;
• and
• a user interface, for reporting at least one of the possible inaccuracies, when said at least one of the possible inaccuracies is detected by the processor,
• wherein said personal property declaration is a report of taxable property from a filer who is an individual or a business,
• wherein at least one of said other personal property declarations pertains to a type of commerce that is engaged in by the filer,
• wherein the analyzing by the processor includes calculating a ratio of a category of assets to a larger amount of assets reported on the personal property declaration, and
• wherein the comparing by the processor includes comparing the ratio to a corresponding ratio calculated for one or more of the other personal property declarations,
• wherein said at least one of the possible inaccuracies is detected when said comparing indicates that said ratio is substantially different from said corresponding ratio, and
• wherein said personal property is movable and is reported and recorded at most in said personal property declarations.

A method for auditing a personal property declaration, said method comprising:

• analyzing the personal property declaration, with a processor, to detect possible inaccuracies, by comparing the personal property declaration with data about or from at least one other personal property declaration;
• detecting, with the processor, at least one of the possible inaccuracies, and
• generating an inaccuracy report that identifies at least part of said at least one of the possible inaccuracies, said inaccuracy report being visible at least on a user interface;
• wherein a type of commerce declared by the at least one other personal property declaration is also declared by the personal property declaration that is compared with the at least one other personal property declaration,
• wherein the analyzing includes calculating a ratio of a category of assets to a larger amount of assets reported on the personal property declaration, and
• wherein the comparing includes comparing the ratio to a corresponding ratio calculated for one or more of the at least one other personal property declaration, and
• wherein said at least one of the possible inaccuracies is detected when said comparing indicates that said ratio is substantially different from said corresponding ratio.