Colin Griffiths & Associates, one of the original Canadian tax software pioneers, is launching GriffTax Simple. The downloadable PC software costs only $5 per return and takes as little as five minutes to complete.

The product is designed for estimated 8 million Canadians who have only a “simple” tax return, consisting primarily of a T4 and RRSP contributions, and selected other deductions. With GriffTax Simple, they can now NetFile more quickly and easily than ever before.

“It’s the vision of the Canadian tax industry that NetFile will become the preferred method for filing personal tax returns,” said Rick Ingram, CEO of Colin Griffiths & Associates. “But in order for that to become a reality, the market needs a very low-cost, easy-to-use software package, designed to process the tax claims of the millions of Canadians who file only a limited number of items.”

The software is available via download from www.grifftax.ca. Unlike web services, the product does not require taxpayers to place their personal information on hosted company servers; all personal information is entered and managed on the user’s own computer.

The user pays the product purchase fee only at the final stage of NetFiling – except for modest income individuals, who can complete the final stage at no cost.

The software supports the following, most common income sources and deductions: T4 income; interest income; RRSP contributions; medical expenses; charitable donations; union/professional dues; and interest expenses.

“By limiting our scope to simple tax situations we’ve been able to dramatically simplify the process said Ingram.

The software runs on any personal computer running Windows 98 or higher and consists of a series of easy-to-follow fill-in screens. The product provides an extensive help system as well as tips and diagnostics based on taxpayer input. Email support is also available.

GriffTax Simple is in the final stage of acquiring NetFile approval. Payment method is by secure online credit card transaction. All individuals who qualify for the GST credit will be able to NetFile their tax returns with the software at no charge.

Quebec residents may only use the software for their federal tax returns. A French version of the product will be available shortly.