A new survey released yesterday by Adobe Systems Incorporated found that American taxpayers are growing more comfortable with the Internet and more than half of those surveyed plan to file their taxes electronically this year.

The survey of 1,000 U.S. taxpayers, which was done by phone during the week of Feb. 21. iQ Research & Consulting, based in Washington, D.C., conducted the research.

Forty-seven percent of those surveyed said they had filed electronically in the past with 92 percent of them rating their past experience as either excellent or good.

Half the respondents rated faster processing and quicker tax refunds as the best reasons to file electronically. With 68 percent of taxpayers expecting a refund this year, electronic filing becomes more popular.

Indicating American's generally higher comfort level with the Internet, 57 percent of those surveyed said that the IRS should provide electronic tax forms on its website, and that taxpayers should be able to fill those forms out and submit them online.

Adobe's Acrobat® PDF software is used now by the IRS to provide forms that can be printed and returned to the tax agency, including some that can be completed electronically. The survey shows taxpayers are looking for more sophisticated options.

"This survey demonstrates that American taxpayers are not only more comfortable with online filing and are having good experiences with it, but also that they want to be able to do it directly, without necessarily having to use outside services," said Eugene Lee, vice president of product marketing at Adobe. "However there is still an opportunity to educate taxpayers on the benefits of filing taxes electronically."