About the Report
The National Taxpayer Advocate’s (NTA) Annual Report to Congress creates a dialogue within the IRS and the highest levels of government to address taxpayers’ problems, protect taxpayers’ rights, and ease taxpayers’ burden.
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Report Highlights
Most Serious Problems
The National Taxpayer Advocate's 2015 ARC Identifies the Most Serious Problems Facing Taxpayers Today
“For the IRS to do its job well, it must start from the perspective of what government is about – namely, it is of the people, by the people, and for the people. The government is funded by taxes paid by the people. Therefore, the future state vision of the IRS needs to be designed around the needs of the people.”
- Nina Olson, National Taxpayer Advocate
Full Report
Report Graphics
Preface
The National Taxpayer Advocate’s report makes the case that the recent budget environment has brought about an erosion of taxpayer service at the IRS, and that taxpayer protections have been eroded by a lack of effective administrative and congressional oversight, coupled with a failure to pass taxpayer rights legislation. The report states these trends are reshaping tax administration – but the downward slide can be addressed if Congress makes an investment in the IRS and holds it accountable for how it applies that investment.
The IRS May Adopt User Fees to Fill Funding Gaps Without Fully Considering the Consequences
It appears that reviewing an applicant’s case file and its articles of incorporation and then requesting amendments to the articles of incorporation takes EO about an hour. This is a small price to pay to prevent waste, error, and abuse.
The IRS’s Procedures for Assisting Victims of Identity Theft Still Impose Excessive Burden and Delay Refunds
The IRS Can Do More to Improve Its Administration of the Earned Income Tax Credit
The National Taxpayer Advocate first expressed concerns with the IRS’s inability to properly identify, process, and timely release refund freezes in 2003. Despite certain improvements, such as technological advances, and procedural and policy changes, the IRS’s screening processes in this program continue to harm taxpayers with legitimate returns.