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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.

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.

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.