TaxBrain Online Tax Center Gears Up for Early Filers

TRACY, Calif. - September 18, 2002 - Petz Enterprises, Inc., producers of the popular TaxBrainT Online Tax Center, unveiled plans today to expand services for early season taxpayers.

According to IRS statistics, nearly three-quarters, or more than 93 million American taxpayers will be receiving refunds in the upcoming year. Total refunds to be paid by the IRS are expected to top $150 billion. And the numbers go higher. "Due to the sluggish economy, more Americans will be getting tax refunds than in any year in recent memory," said Leroy Petz, Sr., CEO of Petz Enterprises, Inc. "The volume of refund returns and the need for the money tends strongly toward the beginning of the tax season whenever the economy takes a down-turn."

For this reason, the popular TaxBrain Online Tax Center is gearing up for tremendous growth this year. Last season, the number of federal returns filed from home computers topped 9 million, a number that could reach 11 million this year. With about half being filed during the first 5 weeks of the tax season, that could mean 1 million returns a week for the top online preparation and filing sites. "For the coming season we're expanding both our services and back end data center to handle the volume," said Petz. "We've been supporting high volume preparation and filing for many years in the professional tax industry and we built one of the early systems used by the State of California for electronic returns filed in the state."

Growth has been strong in the online tax preparation and filing industry over the past two years and growth is expected to continue as more taxpayers become aware of the option. "Our biggest challenge has been educating people about the availability of the service," said Petz. Many people are still buying tax software at the store or doing their returns by hand. With a web-based service like TaxBrain, there is no need to buy and install software and it's much easier than preparing a tax return by hand."

The TaxBrain Online Tax Center offers a complete range of options from the low-cost do-it-yourself return, tax assistance, and professional review. In addition, each client has their very own work space, MyTaxBrainT to access services, store files and maintain their overall tax needs. "The goal is to provide a secure, helpful and completely mobile place for people to manage their tax affairs."

About TaxBrain Online Tax CenterT

The TaxBrain Online Tax Center provides tax advice, tools, and resources all year to help taxpayers manage their tax burden with greater confidence and ease. TaxBrain is the only web-based tax solution that delivers online preparation, filing, professional assistance and representation for taxpayers in all 50 states. Launched in 2000, TaxBrain delivers the vision of a fully integrated tax center that accommodates the schedule and needs of the busy American lifestyle. In 2002, TaxBrain emerged as one of the most popular services for online tax preparation and filing available on the web. For more information, visit www.taxbrain.com.

About Petz Enterprises, Inc.

Petz Enterprises, Inc. (a closely-held California corporation) is a leading provider of tax preparation and filing solutions for the professional and consumer markets, helping to automate and simplify federal, state and local tax compliance.

PEI's Crosslink^® line of professional tax software products enable tax practitioners and service bureaus to accurately prepare and file large volumes of individual tax returns. At the IRS Tax Forum, PEI announced the availability of V-TaxT, the world's first online software designed exclusively for professional tax preparers serving large numbers of individuals from multiple locations

Founded in 1974 and based in Tracy, California, PEI is dedicated to serving the needs of the professional tax community and individual taxpayers worldwide. For more information, visit www.petzent.com.