politics & government

ten irs problems that need solutions

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unhappy man waiting on phone in office

how good is better than terrible?

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

every year, america’s national taxpayer advocate – in recent years it’s been erin m. collins – presents an annual report to congress. the report identifies successes and failures of and recommendations for the internal revenue service.

more: treasury ig sees progress at irs | vcs plunk $60 million into ai-powered ‘autonomous’ tax prep | tax pros are expanding and earning more | with fresh funding, irs shows service improvements | how tax practitioners became cybersecurity risks | top tax vendors caught red-handed selling private taxpayer data
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this year’s report praises the irs for its progress since the worst of the covid-19 pandemic, but it finds plenty of room for improvement.

“the year 2023 was one of extraordinary transition for the irs and therefore for taxpayers,” collins writes. “despair has turned to cautious optimism.”
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reader to irs: stop whining and get to work

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frustrated woman typing on laptop

an accountant has had enough of broken promises.

editor’s note: a reader shared with us an open letter sent to the irs. we removed some capitalization, bold/italic type and extra punctuation, but every word is just as written.

open letter via priority mail; delivery signature required

the honorable daniel werfel, commissioner
internal revenue service
1111 constitution ave, nw
washington, dc 20224

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re: aicpa presentation 11-14-23. please stop complaining about budgets. focus on setting priorities, allocating resources, taxpayer bill of rights and the strategic operating plan like the rest of us out here; stop whining and just do your job.
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treasury ig sees progress at irs

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bar charts
comparison of individual return inventory carried over to the next filing season

backlogs cleared, fraud detected.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

the treasury inspector general for tax administration has issued a report on the 2023 filing season, and it is generally complimentary to the irs.

more: vcs plunk $60 million into ai-powered ‘autonomous’ tax prep | tax pros are expanding and earning more | with fresh funding, irs shows service improvements | how tax practitioners became cybersecurity risks | top tax vendors caught red-handed selling private taxpayer data
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

one big accomplishment: by feb. 2, 2023, the irs had cleared the entire carryover inventory of unprocessed individual tax returns received in 2022 – a backlog of 447,000 paper returns and 445,000 amended returns.
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with fresh funding, irs shows service improvements

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man talking on phone and smiling

welcome to the 21st century.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

it turns out that all it took was money. funded better, the irs performs better. it’s as simple as that.

more: research: accounting pros cautiously optimistic about generative ai | how auditors can beat ai | how tax practitioners became cybersecurity risks | why the u.s. must act now to protect our online privacy | top tax vendors caught red-handed selling private taxpayer data
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

look at the accomplishments as of the end of the filing season:

  • three million more phone calls answered.
  • phone wait times cut from 28 minutes to just three.
  • 140,000 more taxpayers served in person.
  • 80 times more returns digitized than in 2022.
  • entire backlog of 2022 returns cleared without error.
  • new online filing and notification options offered.
  • tax preparers can file 1099s in bulk.
  • new direct deposit refund enabled for amended returns.
  • 35 taxpayer assistance centers opened or reopened.

the improvements are possible thanks to funding provided under the inflation reduction act, and the irs deserves credit for accomplishing so much in so little time. the ira was passed on august 16, 2022.

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why the u.s. must act now to protect our online privacy

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lawmakers need to step up. don’t expect big tech to help.

by jonathan baron

i’m thankful for the european union. they watch out with much more diligence to protect privacy and do so with an eye to cybersecurity as well. but at least our regulators in the u.s. are fairly good, but slow, followers.

more cybersecurity: top tax vendors caught red-handed selling private taxpayer data | how hacker-proof is your firm? | it takes a village to stop cybercrime | one-third of cyber attacks involve small businesses | cyber insurance costs rise in health care as attacks soar | the why, what and how of cybersecurity for accountants | when cyber-crime hits close to home | cybersecurity for tax professionals |

more jon baron: top tax vendors caught red-handed selling private taxpayer data | client accounting services poised to surge in post-corona world | tax pros retake market share from diyers | three new technologies that will change everything [video] | economic mega-trends [video] | today’s best opportunities for accounting firms [video] | re-invest in your firm or get out? [video] |  when tax work dies [video] |  the big shift and the shakeout [video] | why the u.s. lags the world in tax tech [video]

goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

i was reminded of this because the other day, i received my quarterly report from deleteme, which i use to periodically clean up my data being bought and sold without my knowledge on the open market. since our last report, my wife and i have had over 20 new third parties needing cleanup. unbelievable.

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top tax vendors caught red-handed selling private taxpayer data

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taxslayer, h&r block and taxact have been passing on sensitive personal and financial data to meta, google and other big tech companies.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

q: since when did private tax returns become public information?

a: since some of the nation’s biggest tax preparers decided to share it.

more cybersecurity: jon baron: why the u.s. must act now to protect our online privacy |top tax vendors caught red-handed selling private taxpayer data | how hacker-proof is your firm? | it takes a village to stop cybercrime | one-third of cyber attacks involve small businesses | cyber insurance costs rise in health care as attacks soar | the why, what and how of cybersecurity for accountants | when cyber-crime hits close to home | cybersecurity for tax professionals |

more tax: irs embracing stakeholders | coming soon: new ways to pay the irs | irs sets milestones for radically new service | irs promises 12 customer service initiatives | should tax preparers be certified competent? | irs has big plans for its $80 billion | can’t irs tax pro accounts do more? | taxpayer assistance centers need upgrade
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

for all your concerns about protecting client information, it seems that taxslayer, h&r block and taxact have been passing on sensitive personal and financial data to meta, google and other big tech companies.
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irs embracing stakeholders

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partnership, feedback sought.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

the internal revenue service recognizes that it cannot achieve effective tax administration alone, that it must include a broad ecosystem of stakeholders.

more: coming soon: new ways to pay the irs | irs to speed up issue resolution | irs sets milestones for radically new service | irs promises 12 customer service initiatives | should tax preparers be certified competent?
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

in other words, taxation takes a village.

the irs’s new strategic operating plan 2023-2031 delves into the breadth and variety of stakeholders.
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coming soon: new ways to pay the irs

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person using credit card to pay bill onlineimprovements will be made over four years.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

americans are used to paying for things online, over the phone, through bank transfers, with automatic renewals, with credit cards, digital wallets and checks in the mail, not to mention a variety of specialized banks, such as paypal and venmo, and even good ol’-fashioned cash.

more: irs to speed up issue resolution | irs sets milestones for radically new service | irs promises 12 customer service initiatives | should tax preparers be certified competent? | irs: let the sun shine in … and out | irs has big plans for its $80 billion | can’t irs tax pro accounts do more? | hello? irs? anybody home? | taxpayer assistance centers need upgrade | at the irs, short on staff means short on service
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

to the frustration of millions of american taxpayers, the internal revenue service, until recently, has accepted payments only with 19th-century technology.
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irs to speed up issue resolution

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woman looking at tablet at outdoor tablea triad of good intentions.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

a lot of the backlog at the internal revenue service is because of simple errors that compound their own complications. arithmetic boo-boos too easily snowball into backlogs, bankruptcies and court cases.

more: irs sets milestones for radically new service | irs promises 12 customer service initiatives | should tax preparers be certified competent? | irs: let the sun shine in … and out | irs has big plans for its $80 billion
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

it might start off with a simple math error or misplaced deduction.
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irs sets milestones for radically new service

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calendar pages turningwhat’s promised between now and the end of 2027.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

funded with $80 billion in new appropriations, the irs has laid out detailed plans for overhauling the service with better customer service, more online options and a modernized information technology system.

more: irs promises 12 customer service initiatives | clientele and revenues rising, but … | should tax preparers be certified competent? | irs: let the sun shine in … and out | irs has big plans for its $80 billion | can’t irs tax pro accounts do more? | hello? irs? anybody home? | taxpayer assistance centers need upgrade
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

it’s an ambitious – and necessary and long overdue – plan. can the irs pull it off?

we’ll know they can do it if they manage to hit the milestones they’ve set for the next few years. if they do, the united states may be on the road to a just and user-friendly system of tax collection.
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irs promises 12 customer service initiatives

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illustrative flowchart of customer servicebut can it deliver?

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

the inflation reduction act, which increases the irs budget by $80 billion over the next 10 years, has already allowed the irs to write a new strategic operating plan for the years 2023-2031.

more: clientele and revenues rising, but … | should tax preparers be certified competent? | have no fear, april is here | should tax preparers be certified competent? | irs: let the sun shine in … and out | irs has big plans for its $80 billion | can’t irs tax pro accounts do more? | hello? irs? anybody home?
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

but can the irs really accomplish what it plans?

if so, we could see a wonderful new tax collection agency that is fair, efficient, helpful, modern and serious about enforcement.
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should tax preparers be certified competent?

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four recommendations for congress.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

sad news for all you enrolled agents, enrolled actuaries, attorneys, cpas and other trained, competent tax preparers: you wasted your time and money on education. it turns out incompetence isn’t illegal. there are no standards, no mandatory credentials. anyone can claim to be a tax preparer.

more: irs: let the sun shine in … and out | irs has big plans for its $80 billion | can’t irs tax pro accounts do more? | hello? irs? anybody home? | taxpayer assistance centers need upgrade | at the irs, short on staff means short on service
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

best of all, when an incompetent preparer makes a mistake, it’s only taxpayers and the irs that suffer.
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