IN MEMORIAM
Atilla M Taluy (1937-2018)
Many of us remember Atilla’s numerous contributions to the tax industry as an outspoken proponent of the voluntary compliance system we all enjoy as Americans and the unique relationship between Government, citizen and the tax industry.
After immigrating to the United States in the 50’s for college, he graduated with Masters of Science degrees in both Mechanical and Electrical Engineering from Oklahoma State University. He would often joke that after college he moved to California to support JPL for the summer, and the summer never ended. He would live in California the reminder of his life.
In his professional career, in addition to innovating in the tax industry he touched other areas. Atilla did mathematical modeling and supported the Apollo mission, putting USA first on the moon. He helped develop the Agress respirator mask helping to save the lives of our Air Force pilots. In the 80’s he developed stealth blimp technology inventing a blimp shape and furthering stealth and surveillance research.
In the late 80s and early 90s, Atilla was an early proponent of electronic filing and saw it as the future of the American tax system. He developed marketing signs and banners and received grants to distribute them to tax offices to help promote electronic filing. He developed systems to convert paper returns prepared into electronic returns. Those systems were used by early Electronic Return Originators nationwide.
Pushing electronic filing off the desktop, Atilla was an early innovator and founder of one of the original online tax filing services, FileYourTaxes.com. He led FileYourTaxes.com and shaped public policy that enables Government to Citizen interaction worldwide. One his early accomplishments was to bring in the eFile PIN that enabled taxpayers to authenticate themselves online. Later he engaged the IRS in the formation of the Free File Alliance.
Atilla recently was an active participant in the Security Summit process as well as CERCA, FS-ISAC, NACTP, OASIS, and other industry and government committees. He served on the ETAAC Board, the Board of Directors for CERCA and was a charter member of the Executive Committee of the Free File Alliance, Inc.
The ways citizens file their taxes today were in part shaped by Atilla.
Atilla is survived by his wife, two sons, and four grandchildren.
Donations in his memory may be directed to prostate cancer research under the direction of Edwin Posadas, MD at the Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute at Cedars-Sinai. Dr Posadas is a leading researcher, and one of Atilla’s primary physicians who contributed significantly to Atilla being with us these last few years.
Gifts may be made online at: https://giving.cedars-sinai.edu/campaign/make-a-gift . Please note that the gift is in memory of Atilla M Taluy.