The House Ways and Means Oversight Subcommittee held an October 4 hearing on the IRS’s efforts and challenges toward modernizing its information technology (IT) infrastructure. Witnesses from the IRS, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) and Government Accountability Office (GAO) testified before the subcommittee. The IRS
Read more →The IRS Criminal Investigation Division (IRS-CI) is putting together a new international tax enforcement group, according to IRS-CI Chief Don Fort. This information was revealed publicly to reporters for the first time during an August 2 conference call. The new initiative is expected to be fully operational
Read more →The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) recently reviewed the IRS’s handling of fraudulent returns filed by incarcerated individuals. According to TIGTA, some 17,000 incarcerated individuals claimed potentially fraudulent refunds worth $48 million. TIGTA reported that returns frequently are not supported by third-party income documents. In
Read more →The Oversight Subcommittee of the House Ways and Means Committee reviewed the IRS’s record retention practices at a hearing on July 25. Officials from the IRS and the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) testified. “The IRS has long been challenged in the area of record
Read more →The IRS Office of Appeals has launched a web-based pilot program to provide a virtual conference option to taxpayers, effective August 1, 2017. The pilot program will use a secure, web-based screen-sharing platform to connect with taxpayers face-to-face from anywhere they have internet access. The IRS expects
Read more →At press time, it appears that legislation to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA) – including its taxes – will not be revisited until after Congress’ August recess. Although there have not been any legislative changes to the ACA, there could be administrative changes. “The
Read more →The IRS did not issue the required notification letters by June 30, 2015, to taxpayers without Minimum Essential Coverage under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) for tax year 2014, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) reported. In March 2016, the IRS’s ACA
Read more →The IRS has updated its online frequently asked questions (FAQs) about passport certification. Code Sec. 7345 authorizes the IRS to certify that a taxpayer has seriously delinquent tax debt to the U.S. State Department. The IRS website reports that passport certifications will begin in early 2017. Speaking
Read more →The IRS has reminded withholding agents of their responsibilities, some reporting changes and some common errors. The IRS also described filing requirements for non-U.S. citizens in certain circumstances. The due date for Form 1042-S, Foreign Person’s U.S. Source Income Subject to Withholding, is March 15. To request
Read more →Former Treasury Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Tax Affairs Robert Stack discussed IRS resources and tax regulations at the March 3 Federal Bar Association’s 41st Annual Tax Law Conference in Washington, D.C. Stack expressed criticism of the Trump administration’s recent proposals to cut IRS funding and inhibit
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