Sketchy operations target tax debtors for offers in compromise, and preparers who remain anonymous on returns generally have something to hide, the IRS says in its ongoing series.
IRS practice & procedure
More ‘Dirty Dozen’: Tax refund theft and fake charity appeals
The IRS continued its annual series, highlighting threats to ordinary taxpayers from would-be thieves.
Supervisory penalty approval must only precede assessment, not first formal notice
The Ninth Circuit overturned a Tax Court decision and disagreed with the precedent it was based on.
Senators request details on IRS info return destruction
The inquiry posed seven specific questions to the IRS concerning the decision, how it was arrived at, its potential effects and whether the Service has destroyed such documents before processing them at any other time.
Senators urge 2-D barcoding of paper-filed tax returns in 2023
Fourteen GOP members of the Senate Finance Committee added their voices to National Taxpayer Advocate Erin Collins’s recent directive to the Internal Revenue Service relating to processing of paper-filed returns.
Tax equity research lacks demographic data, GAO reports
The US Government Accountability Office found disparities in the distribution of some tax items, but notes impediments to knowing taxpayers’ race, ethnicity, and sex.
House subcommittee queries audit rates, IRS resources
Officials from the IRS and the US Government Accountability Office address legislators’ questions on taxpayer service and enforcement across income levels.
IRS audit rates decreased most for wealthy, GAO finds
In a study, the US Government Accountability Office finds that the IRS’s individual tax audit rates decreased by 72% during 2010–2019, and by a greater percentage for higher-income taxpayers than for lower-income ones.
IRS blames old tech in destruction of information returns
The IRS responds to a report by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration that pointed to the March 2021 incident as one example demonstrating a need for the Service to increase e-filing options.
Helping build a better tax system
A CPA describes his journey from a small practice to advising the IRS and Congress on issues of tax policy and administration.
TIGTA: IRS should work to expand e-filing
The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration finds a lack of coordinated effort across the IRS to fulfill opportunities for wider electronic return filing.
Procedures for Puerto Rico residents to claim a 2021 child tax credit
The IRS provides two simplified filing methods for bona fide residents of Puerto Rico to claim the child tax credit.
Staffing shortages, backlog hampered IRS in 2022 filing season, TIGTA says
The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration issues a preliminary assessment of the IRS’s performance in the recently concluded period for income tax filings.
Invitation issued for IRS Priority Guidance Plan recommendations
The IRS opened its annual to-do list for drafting regulations and other formal guidance to public suggestions of priority tax issues.
IRS proposes to amend estate and gift tax basic exclusion regs.
Exceptions to the special rule allowing the temporarily higher basic exclusion amount to apply to gifts credited against estate tax.
Supreme Court holds Tax Court not bound by petition filing deadline
The 30-day limit under Sec. 6330(d) for petitioning the Tax Court to review an IRS determination is nonjurisdictional and can be equitably tolled, the Court holds in the case of a taxpayer whose petition was one day late.
IRS funding, technology assessed in House hearing
IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig and National Taxpayer Advocate Erin Collins testify to the House Oversight and Reform Committee.
Treasury equity action plan reports progress
The tax implications of the Biden administration’s policy of advancing racial equity and support for underserved communities across the government are outlined.
Superfund taxpayers granted failure-to-deposit penalty relief
The IRS also assures payers of the reinstituted excise taxes that they will not lose a deposit safe harbor in early 2023.
Acute IRS challenges had chronic origins, GAO reports
The US Government Accountability Office draws lessons for the IRS in handling taxpayer return errors, processing those returns more timely and serving taxpayers’ needs.
Features
FROM THIS MONTH'S ISSUE
Tax season quick guide
Get ready for tax season with the JofA’s annual filing season quick guide, an easy-to-use compilation of dollar thresholds, tax tables, standard amounts, credits, and deductions. Download and print for quick reference this tax season.
