Nina Olson

Fixing The IRS Will Require Much More Than Hiring Additional Staff

As usual, the politicians are missing the point: Success or failure of the IRS’s ambitious plan to spend $80 billion in new money won’t be...

April 19, 2023Howard Gleckman

Individual Taxes: TaxVox

Are IRS Security Tools Blocking Millions of People from Filing Electronically?

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...

April 26, 2021Howard Gleckman

Individual Taxes: TaxVox

Nina Olson's Legacy At The IRS

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.

August 8, 2019Howard Gleckman

Individual Taxes: TaxVox

Making Sure Gig Workers Pay The Right Amount of Tax

For all the attention being lavished on the gig economy, we still have much to learn about those who are working in it. But we...

October 30, 2018Howard Gleckman

Individual Taxes: TaxVox

If Banning Negligent Low-Income Households From Taking Tax Credits Is Such a Great Idea, Why Stop With 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

January 7, 2016Howard Gleckman

Individual Taxes: TaxVox

Should The IRS Become a Consumer Agency Instead of a Tax Cop?

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

July 16, 2015Howard Gleckman

: TaxVox

Tax Season: It Ain’t Over Till It’s Over

The IRS and the ACA: Working hard and working well. The IRS, thanks to years of preparation since the Affordable Care Act became law in 2010, has managed the current tax filing season smoothly, according to IRS Commissioner John Koskinen , even with new ACA burdens and IRS budget cutbacks . “It's

April 13, 2015Renu Zaretsky

Individual Taxes: TaxVox

What Will Happen To Voluntary Tax Compliance If a Budget-constrained IRS Is Not Fixed?

Is the IRS such a mess that the nation’s system of voluntary tax compliance is at risk? Will frustrated taxpayers rebel because they can’t get help with a revenue code they can’t understand? Will aggressive taxpayers who recognize that audit rates have plummeted to the lowest levels in years

April 9, 2015Howard Gleckman

: TaxVox

It’s Spring Break, and “Everything’s Coming Up Taxes…” (No Daffodils)

Congress is in recess and the Daily Deduction will post Mondays until it reconvenes. We’ll be back to our regular schedule on April 13. Taxpayers: How are IRS budget cuts affecting you? You can find out on Wednesday from IRS Commissioner John Koskinen at a TPC event at the Brookings Institution .

April 6, 2015Renu Zaretsky

: TaxVox

Taxing the Rich: It’s a Plan Abroad, Too

The State of the Union: Tax reform depends on where you are sitting. In his State of the Union Address last night, President Obama called on Congress to address wealth inequality through the tax code, largely by increasing the capital gains tax and imposing a bank tax to fund tax relief for middle-

January 21, 2015Renu Zaretsky