The IRS selected acting director Terence H. Lutes as the new director of the Electronic Tax Administration. The ETA oversees policy and security for electronic transactions, as well as the development of electronic services throughout the IRS. The ETA’s focus on minimizing paper transactions is a cornerstone of the IRS’s modernization effort.
The ETA’s role has become more important as the number of electronically filed taxes has dramatically increased over the past few years. In 2000, more than 35 million returns were e-filed—an 85% increase from 1997.