IRS Services

TIGTA on VITA
In an August 29, 2007 audit, the  Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration said that "although accuracy rates have been increasing, volunteers continue to not follow procedures that assist in the accurate preparation of tax returns.  To ensure the continued success of the Volunteer Program, the IRS must focus its oversight on holding volunteers accountable." The Center for Economic Progress issued a press release lauding the improvement in quality. [posted 9/18/07]

National Taxpayer Advocate's 2006 Annual Report to Congress
Highlights a variety of taxpayer issues, including those surrounding low-income taxpayers. [posted 7/25/07]

Low-Income Taxpayers and the Modernized IRS: A View From the Trenches, by Janet Spragens and Nancy Abramowitz [PDF,1.7 MB, posted 12/20/05]
This article examines the continuing effects on low-income taxpayers of the 1998 IRS reorganization and computer modernization of the agency. The authors believe that the net result for many taxpayers has been the trading of fairness for administrative efficiency and the contraction — and often denial — of taxpayer prepayment rights. Published in Tax Analysts, Jun. 14, 2005

TIGTA On VITA [posted 12/30/05]
In a November 4 report, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration said IRS oversight of the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program has improved, but that "challenges remain for an effective quality assurance process."  TIGTA says that the IRS has made some improvements to VITA oversight, but has a ways to go to limit error by VITA preparers. 

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