Virginia Tax Department Uses YouTube Superhero to Promote Online Tax Filing

Phil Mousepower encourages taxpayers to file online or with direct deposit, saving time and trouble.

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Phil Mousepower (pictured) Virginia Tax Agency's electronic filing crusader.

State tax agencies aren't usually known for creativity, a sense of humor or a lighthearted approach. But the Virginia Department of Taxation has a different approach, and is using YouTube and a blue-caped crusader named Phil Mousepower to encourage electronic filing . Phil -- starring in such "no budget" capers as "Phil's Phirst Philm, Subterranean Paper Filing Blues, and Phil to the Rescue -- encourages taxpayers to file online or with direct deposit, saving time and trouble.

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Wayne E. Hanson served as a writer and editor with e.Republic from 1989 to 2013, having worked for several business units including Government Technology magazine, the Center for Digital Government, Governing, and Digital Communities. Hanson was a juror from 1999 to 2004 with the Stockholm Challenge and Global Junior Challenge competitions in information technology and education.