I read the Proposed Marketing Restriction on the IRS website.
Following is one of the new rules, will be effective Jan 1 2009, (not sure if it is enacted or only proposed):
"Among the new rules:
Generally, preparers must obtain taxpayer consent, either by paper or electronically depending on how the return is being filed, before tax return information can be disclosed to any third party or used for any purpose other than filing the return.
If the taxpayer consents to the disclosure and use of his information, the consent must identify the intended purpose of the disclosure, identify the recipients and describe the particular authorized disclosure or use of the information."
If this does / is in effect you may want to check if the consent will be required for any taxpayer you are efiling with ATX or Taxwise in 2009, since starting this year, the company will retain all of the client's information that is being efiled and it will be accessible by anybody working in the Georgia customer service/tech support division. In prior years ATX was always very careful about protecting clients information and all senisitive information i.e. SSN, account numbers etc... were data stripped and not accessible by customer service/ tech support. All information efiled starting Jan. 11 will be viewable by any of their customer service staff.