IRIS

Logo of the IRIS system.

Iris, officially the Internal Revenue Information System (stylized IRIS*), is the Cartadanian Bureau of Federal Revenue's centralized public data system that Cartadanians utilize to complete federal taxes (and state taxes to participating states), handle minor tax issues/disputes, and process tax refund disbursements. It was established as a free service in 2010 to replace the previous system and, though not intended to do so, caused many private tax-filing corporations to go out of business. Despite this, Cartadanians are not required to file through IRIS and may still file with the help of private companies.

While small businesses may also process their taxes through IRIS, larger corporations use the sister service CRIS, the Corporate Revenue Information System.

History

Prior to 2000, Cartadanians had to file taxes by hand, which consumed a lot of time and could cause delays, or with companies that could transmit their information electronically, which could be expensive and raised suspicions of security around the practice. It prompted the Bureau of Federal Revenue to look for alternative methods of bookkeeping and accounting. In September of 1998, then-Secretary of the Treasury Demétrio Magalhães authorized the development of a program for a central, consolidated database named FEDRA (the Federal Revenue Application) that was officially launched on 2 January 2000. It marked a change in tax operations but its complexity made it difficult for many to file their own taxes without assistance. Thus, many large accounting firms that helped individuals file taxes still profited from the implementation through classes on the system or just assistance with using it.

Logo of the CRIS system.

FEDRA was in-service for ten years until the Treasury began an overhaul with its new application, then deemed Project Pluto. Development of Project Pluto began in 2008 with internal goals such as lighter framework, faster processing times, and better encryption of data for safety, while interface goals included a simpler interface, clearer instructions on usages, and better access. IRIS deployed alongside sister-service CRIS (Corporated Revenue Information System), which was designed to handle the large-scaled needs of many corporations throughout Cartadania. Along with CRIS, IRIS entered service 1 January 2010, and unlike with FEDRA, the IRIS and CRIS systems will remain in place with annual updates to interface, back-end systems, and other operations.

Data

Transmission

Data transmission plays a critical role in the functioning of the IRIS system. The system is designed to consolidate all federal taxes and at least twenty-six states' taxes into a single suite. To achieve this, the system uses a robust data transmission mechanism that enables taxpayers to securely transmit their tax information to the central database. Like most things in Cartadania, the FRB maintains a system of redundancy, where each participant state keeps an encrypted copy of all taxes within their database (though, legally may only access its own, except in times of federal compliance).

While six states do not assess income tax, they use an IRIS-based software for other state taxes such as property tax. For example, Lombardia uses the LIRA system while Victoria uses VIRGO for respective state-level taxes, both named after their respective state agency. Additionally, two other states have their own dedicated services, but they are required to be interoperable with IRIS. This ensures that taxpayers from all parts of Cartadania can benefit from the convenience and efficiency of using IRIS to file their taxes. The data transmission mechanisms used by IRIS are designed to be secure, reliable, and efficient, enabling taxpayers to easily file their taxes and receive timely refunds.

Encryption

When discussing encryption in the context of IRIS, it's important to note that the system is designed to keep taxpayer information safe and secure. IRIS uses a system based on the Rijndael block cipher, which is a widely recognized and respected encryption method that has been approved by the federal government and its corresponding agencies. The specific standard in use is known as PCA.

PCA is a symmetric-key algorithm, which means that the same key is used for both encryption and decryption. This key is generated by IRIS and is unique for each user. When a user submits their tax information through IRIS, it is encrypted using their unique key and transmitted securely to the IRIS servers.

The use of PCA encryption ensures that taxpayer information is kept confidential and secure during transmission and storage. It is one of the most secure encryption methods available and is used by governments and organizations around the world to protect sensitive data.

State taxes

Under the current provisions for IRIS and CRIS, states may elect to participate in the IRIS system for state filings, but are not required to do so. For the states that opt-out of participation, the proprietary data system must be able to transmit data to and from IRIS and CRIS.

Non-participant states

There are six non-participant states. Lombardia, Milan, Santiago, and Veneza do not assess a state income tax, thus their citizens only participate for federal filing. For other taxes, such as property, these states maintain their own internal systems, some of which are built around IRIS (e.g., Lombardia's LIRA system and Victoria's VIRGO). São Andreas and Haia maintain their own tax systems, but in order to compy with federal law, also are able to transmit data to and from the IRIS and CRIS systems.