Exhibit 3:
Capabilities and Characteristics of Tax Software |
| Program | AM-Tax Pro | AlPluslTax for Windows | GoSystem for Windows | Lacerte Tax Software | Professional Tax System | ProSystem fx | Tax/Pack Professional | Tax Relief-Windows | Tax$imple | TaxWorks | TurboTax ProSeries | Ultra Tax |
| Vendor | AM Software | Arthur Andersen LLP | CLR | Lacerte Software | TaascFORCE | CCH | Alpine Data | Micro Vision | Tax$imple, Inc. | Laser Systems | Intuit | Creative Solutions |
| INSTALLATION AND SETUP |
| Multiple firms supported | No | Yes 999 | Yes | Yes 4 | Yes unlimited | Via WAN | Yes 99 | Yes | Yes 5 | No | Yes unlimited | Yes extra charge |
| Preparers supported | Yes | 46,656 per firm | Yes unlimited | 90 | Yes unlimited | 99 | 99 | 999 | 5 | Yes unlimited | Yes unlimited | Yes unlimited |
| User definable drive and directories? | Yes | Yes | Yes drive only | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes drive only | Yes | Yes |
| Ability to select separate drive/directory for client files? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Modifications required to config.sys/autoexec.bat? | No | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | Not usually | No | No | Yes, in some cases | Yes |
| TRAINING |
| Manual include tutorial? Number of pages? | No 120 pages | No 360 pages | Yes extensive | Yes 192 pages | Yes, 800 pages | Yes 36 pages | Yes 191 pages | Yes 27 pages | Yes 50 pages | Yes 31 pages | Yes 25 pages | Yes 1,000 pages |
| Other training aids? Describe | | Multimedianbsp; | Workbooks, case studies, integrated online help | Free 1990 1995 software, tutorials, seminars | Screen display guide | On site, seminars, CD tutorials | No | Video, manuals, CD-ROM tutorial, reference cards | Free prior-year software | Classes | Seminars, CPE self-study courses | Seminars, teletraining, self-study |
| Offer CPE credit for training? | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| ANALYSIS |
| Married filing jointly separate comparison? | Yes | Yes (Windows) | Yes | Yes | Yes, in integrated Tax Planner | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Comparison automatically generated? | Yes | Yes (Windows) | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Calculate W4s? | No | Planned | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Simultaneous multistate processing? How many? | Yes | Yes | Yes unlimited | Yes unlimited | Yes unlimited | Yes unlimited | Yes 4 | Yes 5 | Yes 2 | Yes 40 | Yes unlimited | Yes unlimited |
| What-if analysis? | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Planner | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Show processing status? | Yes | Status line display | Yes | Yes user defined | Yes | Via manage option | No | Yes | No | Client status | Yes | Completion dates |
| Use review notes? | Yes | Yes (Windows) | Preparer and reviewer notes | Yes user defined | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Notepads | Audit statements | Yes | Notepads |
| Tax planning supported? | No | Yes | Yes | BNA | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Tax planning integrated with tax preparation? | No | BNA | No | BNA | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Multiple year analysis? Number of years? | Yes 5 | Yes up to 12 | Yes 2 | Yes 2 | Yes 5 | Yes 2 | Yes 3 | Yes 5 | Yes 3 | Yes 2 | Yes 2 | Yes 2 |
| PROCESSING |
| Batch processing? | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Interactive? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Preferred | Interactive | User choice | User choice | Interactive | Interactive | User choice | User choice | Interactive | Interactive | User choice | Interactive | Interactive |
| Input from accounting software (name) | No | Quicken/Financial Navigator | Various call | Various | TaascFORCEs EasyACCT Professional Series | All with add-on | None | Yes all packages | Any ASCII | Yes, P.D.S. Client Accounting Softwaretax | Quicken and any other exchange format (.txt) file, QuickBooks and most trial balance software | Creative Solutions Write Up Solution (WS2), SCS/Data Write |
| Asset depreciation records maintained? | Yes | Yes Extra charge | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Other comments | | | | | Input sheets available | | | | Mouse supported in DOS program | | | |
| ONLINE HELP AND AUDIT DETECTION |
| Help by form or line? | Form | Line sensitive | Yes | By line and hypertext | Windows 95: form and line | Both | Both | Line sensitive | Line sensitive | Line sensitive | Both | Screen |
| Online reference to | Yes | CD-ROM research | Various | | | CCH products | Some IRS instructions | IRS instructions | Hotkey to tax reference | Federal regulations | IRS instructions, source data | Hotkey to tax reference |
| Audit detection | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes with diagnostics | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| CALCULATIONS |
| Calculation method used | Automatic | On completion or autocalculate | User definable | DOS: on completion; Windows 95: time calculate | Automatic or on demand | On completion | Automatic on schedule | User definable | Automatic | On completion | Automatic | Automatic |
| PRINTING |
| Batch processing (multiple returns)? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes up to 100 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Federal and state together? | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Batch processing of extensions? | No | Add-on program | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Under development | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Printing buffer? Size? | No | Yes no limit | No | No | No | Yes varies | No | Yes | With add-on | No | No | |
| Client letter? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Client letter for federal/state combined? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Client letter customizable? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Client billing by form? | Yes | Add-on program | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Client billing by time? | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | Windows only | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Add-on program |
| Print blank forms? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mailing labels? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Other printing features | | | | Appointments, status reports, practice management reports | Includes soft fonts, onscreen view | | Rolodex cards | Tax ledger | Select one or more form for a client and print simultaneously | Envelopes, reports, organizers, slip sheets | Supports OCR, prints federal or state attachments with state returns | Custom collate |
