IRS
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The Internal Revenue Service is making technology investments to move away from some programs it says started during the Kennedy Administration. Congress repeatedly slashed and froze its budget over the past five years, so it's important for the IRS to know exactly how much its IT investments will cost. According to the Government Accountability office, that's not exactly the case today. David Powner is director of information technology management issues at the GAO. He shared three recommendations to improve how the IRS tracks its investments with Federal News Radio's Jared Serbu on In Depth with Francis Rose.
March 02, 2015 -
Congress has three main responsibilities as Board of Directors for the Executive Branch. It has to set lines of business for Congress, create agency programs, and evaluate agency performance. All of those responsibilities imply Congress should try to solve agency problems before they occur. Bob Tobias is professor of Key Executive Leadership Programs, American University, and former member of the Internal Revenue Service Oversight Board. On In Depth with Francis Rose, he told Federal News Radio's Jared Serbu Congress isn't proactive enough regarding the well being of your agency.
March 02, 2015 -
The Internal Revenue Service has rehired hundreds of former employees with records including conduct problems, performance issues and even back taxes owed. Greg Kutz is assistant inspector general for audit (management services and exempt organizations) at the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration. On In Depth with Francis Rose, he explained why TIGTA focused on the issue.
February 27, 2015 -
The strict budget constraints placed on the Internal Revenue Service are crippling efforts to conduct the most basic levels of public service, said IRS Commissioner John Koskinen.
February 26, 2015 -
The IRS has a problem. It needs to send refund checks to law-abiding taxpayers in a timely fashion, while also looking out for identity thieves. A new report from the Government Accountability Office says one way to do that is to change the formula the agency uses to assess identity theft fraud. Last year, the IRS handed out $6 billion in fraudulent claims. James White, the director of tax issues at GAO, joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive with more on the report's findings.
February 26, 2015 -
Budget cuts forced the IRS to reduce the number of tax audits last year to the lowest level in a decade, IRS Commissioner John Koskinen said Tuesday. And the number of audits could be even lower this year.
February 24, 2015 -
"Test and learn" is a data analysis technique that more agencies are using to plow through the mountain of data they have to use. One agency that's already used it with success is the Internal Revenue Service. Dean Silverman is former senior adviser to the commissioner for compliance analytics initiatives at the Internal Revenue Service. On In Depth with Francis Rose, he defined "test and learn" and explained how the IRS uses it.
February 24, 2015 -
The IRS is in a bind to be both fast and accurate with this season's tax returns, and awards billions in fraudulent claims as a result. That's a problem that will only get worse unless Congress raises IRS' budget to allow for new hires, according to the National Treasury Employees Union.
February 24, 2015 -
A long-time employee of the IRS shares the pros and cons of teleworking with Senior Correspondent Mike Causey.
February 20, 2015 -
The Internal Revenue Service is making progress with controls over its purchase card program. The agency has implemented almost all the recommendations the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration has made. But there are still some loose ends to tie up. Greg Kutz is assistant inspector general for audit -- management services and exempt organizations -- at TIGTA. On In Depth with Francis Rose, he said 14 examples of misuse turned up in a review, but that's a small fraction of the overall use of purchase cards.
February 06, 2015 -
The Republican chairman of the House Oversight Committee tells NTEU members that he wants their help in ridding the federal workforce of bad actors.
February 04, 2015 -
Internal Revenue Service Commissioner John Koskinen wants to get his agency to a point where Americans can make all their tax transactions online, and told the Senate Finance Committee that it needs funding close to what President Barack Obama has proposed.
February 04, 2015 -
IRS employees join other members of the National Treasury Employees Union for a week of lobbying Congress to support a funding increase. But will lawmakers listen?
February 03, 2015 -
A new report from the American Customer Satisfaction Index says that Americans' satisfaction with the services they receive from the federal government continue to decline. In addition, the public, by and large, is more satisfied with the services it receives in the private sector.
January 27, 2015 -
Since at least the end of World War II, foreign governments have come to the U.S. to seek advice from the IRS on their tax compliance problems, says Senior Correspondent Mike Causey.
January 26, 2015