Any business owner worth his or her salt knows that time is as much a commodity as widgets or washing machines.

So when an opportunity arises to save some time -- and maybe some money -- a lot of small business owners will sit up and take notice.

The tax season may give them just such an opportunity.

According to the Conference Board, more people are electing to file their taxes online, apparently with speed and transparency trumping any security concerns on the part of filers. The Board interviewed 10,000
Internet users for its study.

The Conference Board reports that in 2007, about 39 percent of tax filers will file their 2006 federal taxes online. That's up from 28 percent in 2004. Make no mistake, filing one's taxes online is big and  getting bigger. About 65% of taxpayers elected to file their tax forms online for three or more consecutive years. Almost 50% of taxpayers have been filing online for more than five years, says the Conference Board.

"Speed, convenience and choice are compelling an increasing number of consumers to toss their pencils and papers and file their federal taxes electronically," says Lynn Franco, director of the Conference Board  Consumer Research Center. "Whether using professional tax services or do-it-yourself software, electronic filing continues to grow year after year. And, by far, direct deposit is the preferred refund method. This  year's ability to split refunds among up to three accounts is yet another choice that should broaden the appeal of electronic filing."

Just because more Americans are filing their taxes online doesn't mean  that they're not getting professional help to do so. The study reports that among online filers consumers, about 40% plan to use a professional tax service. The Board also reports that the amount of online filers using IRS e-file has declined since 2004, "as the pool of  eligible filers has likely shrunk due to increased complexity in returns and as more alternatives become available."

What really interests me about the study is the fact that Americans are finally getting over their security fears in using the web for personal  financial issues. The study reports that Americans are less concerned abou  security when filing taxes online. Today only 43 percent of Internet users are "extremely" concerned about filing taxes online, down from 52 percent in 2004.

Getting money back faster seems to be a big issue, too. In 2006, 70 percent of online tax filers elected to snag their refund by direct deposit while 18 percent opted for the proverbial check-in-the-mail. What was the main reason for those opting not to file online? Reason number one is that most taxpayers do not do their own taxes (34 percent). Coming in second (23 percent) were concerns about personal information on the World Wide Web.