How Would the IRS Fare in an Audit? Report Says Not So Well
There is no doubt that the Internal Revenue Service is an agency that wields a significant amount of power over us. The words “IRS audit” are enough to seriously frighten even the most law-abiding tax payer simply because innocent mistakes found in an audit are still a very serious matter.
What is the IRS’s duty to us, as taxpayers? The phrase “with great power comes great responsibility” is absolutely fitting for this agency. Tax forms require absolute honesty about a lot of very sensitive information from our spending habits to our social security number. According to a recent report released by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), the agency isn’t taking this responsibility as serious as it should.
The report claims that “management oversight and internal controls” are the basis for some major problems when it comes to protecting taxpayers’ sensitive information.
Sen. Chuck Grassley from Iowa commented on the report, reprimanding the agency. “The IRS should take its responsibility for protecting taxpayer information more seriously, especially when it shares information with state, local, and other federal agencies.” He then went on to say that the report only shows that the “current actions are not enough.”
Although it may seem like the IRS has all of the power in many situations, if you are faced with tax issues, you do have options. Discussing your situation with a tax attorney is the best way to understand the benefits and consequences of each option — and how to effectively accomplish resolution.
Source:The Washington Times, “More safeguards neededto protect personal tax information: federal audit,” Ben Wolfgang, Oct. 21, 2014
