axpayers in the city and across the country can now find out how their tax dollars are spent through an inter-net tax receipt service provided by the Independent Budget Office. By simply visiting IBO's website at www.ibo.nyc.ny.us and entering the total amount of income taxes paid, any federal, New York State, or New York City taxpayer can get an itemized printout of how much of his or her taxes went for specific services. A taxpayer is now easily able to find out how much he or she personally contributed-in actual dollars and cents-to numerous government activities, such as national defense, Medicare, transportation, libraries, interest on debt, education, garbage collection, city jails, and public assistance.

"When you buy groceries or pay medical expenses you get an itemized receipt or bill listing how your money was spent. But when it comes to income taxes-probably the greatest annual expense for most people-taxpayers get no documentation in return. IBO's tax receipt enables taxpayers to better understand how the government spends their money by generating actual amounts, not just percentages, spent on specific services," said IBO Director Douglas Criscitello.

The tax receipt service has received national recognition as an innovative governmental use of technology and was showcased at last year's National League of Cities conference. It is the basis for the bipartisan Taxpayer-Right-To-Know-Act proposed in Congress by then-Rep. Charles Schumer (D-NY), Rep. Merrill Cook (R-UT), Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Rep. Lee Hamilton (D-IN), and Rep. Bob Schaffer (R-CO).