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makes retroactive changes, "you could have a real
disaster in the filing season," he said. "It's an issue
we're tracking very closely, and we're quite concerned
about." ???Fraud. The IRS has become an
increasingly popular target for identity thieves, who use
stolen Social Security numbers to file fake tax returns
and collect refunds. In January, the IRS arrested
dozens of suspected identity thieves in 23 states as
part of a national crackdown.
Taxpayers usually don't know they've been targeted
until their tax returns are rejected by the IRS. Some
victims have had to wait up to a year to get their
refunds while the IRS investigates the crime, says
Lu­-Ann Dominguez, a tax attorney in Fort Lauderdale.
USA TODAY's personal finance reporters offer help for
the tax season. While the IRS has made significant
progress in deterring identity theft, it lacks sufficient
personnel to help those who have been victimized,
Olson said in her annual report. Unlike many other IRS
services, Olson said, assisting identity theft victims
usually can't be automated.
IRS personnel must work directly with victims to verify
they are who they say they are and resolve the
problem, she said. ???Other responsibilities. In
addition to collecting $2.4 trillion in taxes, the IRS is
increasingly being asked to administer other
government programs. "Every time Congress does
something new, it has to do with the tax code," says
Lonnie Gary, chairman of government relations for the
National Association of Enrolled Agents.
For example, the IRS plays a key role in implementing
the Affordable Care Act, the Obama administration's
health care law. Since 2010, the IRS has been
USA Today/ ­- News, Seg, 16 de Abril de 2012
CLIPPING INTERNACIONAL (Supreme Court)
responsible for administering a provision in the law that
provides a health care tax credit for small businesses.
The IRS will also be responsible for administering the
most controversial aspect of the law, if the Supreme
Court doesn't overturn it: the individual insurance
mandate. Starting in 2014, those who can afford health
insurance and refuse to buy it will be subject to a fine
of up to $695, to be assessed by the IRS.
Requiring the IRS to manage such programs distracts
it from its primary mission of collecting tax revenue,
says Donald Williamson, professor of taxation at
American University's Kogod Tax Center. "The IRS is
the IRS, not the penalty assessment bureau for people
who don't have health insurance." President Obama
has proposed a budget of $12.76 billion for the IRS in
fiscal 2013, up nearly $945 million from the current
fiscal year. While that's not enough to rebuild the IRS
workforce to mid­-1990s levels, "it would be a giant step
in the right direction," says Colleen Kelley, president of
the NTEU.
Still, increasing the IRS' budget won't address a more
fundamental problem, says Mark Robyn, an economist
for the Tax Foundation, a non­-partisan organization
that supports low taxes. Currently, he says, the tax
code is so complex that average taxpayers can't
prepare their returns without professional help. Olson
agrees that the tax code is too complex, but says that's
no excuse for poor service. If individuals with
questions about their taxes can't get help from the IRS,
she says, "you're really harming taxpayer trust." Mary
Wright, an IRS employee and president of the NTEU
chapter in Colorado, agrees. "Most people want to be
compliant," she says. "But the tax code is complicated,
and they need help."
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