Solution | Data Integration and Analysis

The Need

The fuel supply chain system is immensely complex due to the laws, regulations and environmental standards that govern it. Data collected within the fuel supply chain by agencies like the IRS and their state and local counterparts is voluminous and not designed for cross comparison.  This makes it difficult to analyze and creates an environment where revenue from fuel taxes can be lost as a result of incomplete, inaccurate, or fraudulent filings.  ETJOC needed a solution to help them analyze numerous filings to track fuel shipments more efficiently and to more accurately identify specific points of revenue loss.

The Solution

A feasibility study conducted by NTELX for the Internal Revenue Service Excise Tax Joint Operations Center (ETJOC), provided a creative approach to addressing the daunting challenge of identifying potential revenue loss and turning that into actionable information and policy recommendations.  NTELX’s expert rules processing provided an import analysis capability that enabled ETJOC to successfully track imported fuel shipments to registered fuel terminals and highlight “untracked” shipments. These untracked shipments served as a sound basis for generating leads that enabled IRS field personnel to identify potential revenue recovery cases more quickly and accurately.

NTELX developed a solution using aggregated filing information, open source industry data, and geo-spatial information to create a common operating picture (COP) for certain fuel import supply chains. The joint aspect of the project led to improved collaboration between state agencies and the IRS, as well as to strategic partnering with the states equivalents to the IRS. ETJOC established an environment of collaboration, data sharing, and identification of fuel tax revenue anomalies.  In addition, the project helped to identify potential fuel tax policy compliance failures and problems with revenue collection policies.