The IRS struggles mightily to balance two goals: It desperately wants to encourage taxpayers to file their tax returns electronically rather than on paper. And...
Nina Olson, the National Taxpayer Advocate, retired last week after 18 years on the job. While few taxpayers knew who she was, she was a tireless advocate for low-income tax filers.
Watching the closing days of the campaign with school-age children is like walking through a minefield, often for reasons that have nothing to do with tax policy. They are learning about “angry voters” and “rigged systems.” But they don’t get it. Why are people so angry? What are these “systems” and why do so many seem to distrust them?
Congress has banned more low-income families who file erroneous tax returns from receiving refundable credits. If lawmakers think this is such a terrific idea, why stop at low-income households? For instance, why shouldn’t Congress bar trade associations from claiming tax-exempt status if they file
So far, at least 22 people are running for president. Only three have released detailed tax plans, but nearly all call for more simplicity—perhaps so much that we could file our returns on a postcard. In 2012, National Taxpayer Advocate Nina Olson called for simplicity, too: “A simpler, more
In her latest report to Congress , IRS Taxpayer Advocate Nina Olson made the provocative suggestion that her agency completely rethink its mission: “It should transform itself as a tax agency from one that is designed around nabbing the small percentage of the population that actively evades tax to
The beleaguered IRS has two enormous challenges: It must rebuild its reputation to win congressional support for the funding it needs to do its job. And, because it will never get all the money it needs, it must spend the dollars it does have more wisely. It can start by improving the way it
The IRS is unable to do right by taxpayers, says the National Taxpayer Advocate. In its annual report to Congress , the in-house IRS watchdog finds that the agency’s budget cuts have eroded taxpayer service , especially for low-income taxpayers. At the same time the lack of effective administrative
Congress might really be home for the holidays. Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden told reporters today that the Senate won’t amend the House-approved bill to revive over 50 expired tax breaks for 2014 only. An up-or-down Senate vote could be held within days. Lawmakers must still sort out what
