Gov. Heineman Outlines Plan to Streamline Department of Revenue
Merged department structure promotes efficiency and responsiveness

(Lincoln, NE) Governor Dave Heineman today was joined by State Tax Commissioner Doug Ewald to unveil the restructuring of the Department of Revenue. Passed in the last legislative session, LB 334 provides for the merger of the Department of Revenue and the Department of Property Assessment and Taxation.

“The citizens of Nebraska have said that they want government run more like a business and this is an improvement for the Department of Revenue,” said Governor Dave Heineman. “By merging these departments, we are increasing the efficiency and responsiveness of the Department of Revenue.”

“The Governor has challenged our department to find ways to run more efficiently and this is a major step,” said Commissioner Ewald. “I am excited about this new management team and look forward to working with them to create a model revenue agency. With this team we will create a streamlined organization that will bring greater clarity to our tax laws, transparency to government and greater customer responsiveness.”

Through the reorganization, the Department of Revenue will now consist of six divisions as compared to the previous thirteen. Within the Department of Revenue there will be three major areas of service: Policy, Enforcement, and Operations. Additionally there will be three distinct systems for Property Assessment, Motor Fuels, and Lottery and Charitable Gaming.

The Policy Division will focus on policy development, economic research, taxpayer education and communications. The Enforcement Division will combine the efforts of legal process, audit compliance and other collection activities. The Operations Division will include the tax processing operations with the information technology section, and will also include other departmental functions such as finance, budget, personnel and related services. By combining the organization in this way the decision making process will become more streamlined and the efforts of the agency more coordinated.

Governor Heineman appointed Doug Ewald as State Tax Commissioner in November 2006. At that time, the Governor set the following goals for the Department of Revenue:

• To be a key part of our leadership team expressing the need for sustained tax relief and supporting tax relief for middle class Nebraskans;

• To streamline the incentive applications process and ensure that approvals or denials are issued more quickly and decisively, effectively and efficiently;

• To restructure the agency with a business focus, beginning with moving the Nebraska Department of Property Assessment and Taxation back into the state Department of Revenue; and

• To instill a culture of customer service and constituent responsiveness.

“This agency is on its way to becoming a model of what government can be,” Gov. Heineman said. “Government should be an enabler of opportunity, not an obstacle to growth.”

The restructuring is part of the Governor’s continuing efforts to bring clarity and accountability to all state agencies. This is also demonstrated by the current restructuring of the Department of Health and Human Services.