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More Americans than ever will file electronic tax returns this year, thanks in part to a big push by the Internal Revenue Service. The IRS predicted huge traffic over the weekend with the tax deadline tomorrow and said that self-prepared electronic filing was expected to jump to 8 million this year, up 27.7 percent from 2002. As of March 21, more than half of the 67 million tax returns filed were electronic. That’s a 10 percent bump versus last year. Two million taxpayers used free filing services, part of a setup by commercial tax preparers that allowed certain low-income filers to do it online for free. H&R Block, one of those sponsors, said that it had seen an increase of 50 percent in online tax filing from last year. Market researcher NPD found that tax software sales had increased 6 percent this year through the end of February. Surprisingly, not everyone has waited until the last minute. When W-2s were issued in early February, irs.gov reported 765,000 visits per day. Last week the site averaged 400,000 hits per day.
Your $4K could buy a Saddam autograph on eBay
“Cuddly” and “Saddam Hussein” don’t often appear in the same sentence – unless it’s describing a dictator doll on eBay. The online auction site has become quite the hub for Saddam collectibles, especially as the whereabouts of the real-life Hussein remain unsure. More than 1,000 Saddam items have been listed since the start of the war, including Iraqi money with his picture on it, T-shirts, videos and even a cuddly Saddam doll. The Saddam dinar currency has been the most popular item, going for $40 and more since it’s now so collectible; there obviously won’t be much more made. The highest-priced collectible is an autographed picture of Saddam, selling for more than $4,000 with three days left and 40 bids recorded. Hussein playing cards and the domain name for www.saddam-hussein.tv are other pricey items.
In fight for No. 2, Microsoft cuts Euro Xbox price
Microsoft is cutting Xbox prices in Europe. Again. For the third time in a year, the company has slashed the price of its game console to drop it below Sony’s Playstation 2 and Nintendo’s GameCube. The Xbox will sell for 199 euros ($214.40), a 20 percent decrease. Microsoft and Nintendo are locked in a tight struggle for No. 2 in Europe, one of the fastest-growing gaming markets in the world. The Microsoft move is a response to Nintendo’s recent series of promotional discounts that dropped its price below 199 euros. Even Sony, which has a solid lead on both companies, has played with its pricing, kicking in a game with PlayStation 2s for 249 to 259 euros. The moves come just before the summer, traditionally a slow period for video game console and game sales. Microsoft says it has moved 2 million Xboxes in Europe, just ahead of Nintendo.
Sprinks begins targeting via Burst network
Burst! ad network signed a deal with paid search provider Sprinks to run targeted sponsor links starting last week. Burst recently agreed to a similar contract with Google. Sprinks differs from competitors Google and Overture in that it uses human editors instead of algorithms to match up ads and content. Advertisers bid for placement according to content topics. Burst offers a variety of different categories, such as career services, health, parenting and web development. The new deal is non-exclusive.
April 14, 2003© 2003 Media Life
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