IRS
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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 -
In Nina Olson's new report to Congress covering 2014, the National Taxpayer Advocate told of a grim situation for the IRS. Service has eroded badly, oversight is poor and tax administration is being reshaped in negative ways by forces outside the agency's control. There's plenty of blame to go around. But the situation isn't hopeless. Olson joined the Federal Drive with Tom Temin with more on the problems and possible solutions.
January 23, 2015 -
The mainstream media has finally caught up to what Senior Correspondent Mike Causey has been reporting on for months: that budget and staff cuts at the IRS are negatively impacting the tax agency's ability to do its job.
January 22, 2015 -
Employees at the Internal Revenue Service may face two days of furloughs before the end of the fiscal year. IRS Commissioner John Koskinen detailed stark budget realities in an agency-wide e-mail to employees.
January 14, 2015 -
Beth Cobert, the deputy director for management at OMB, said the administration has to help agencies get the skills and capabilities to move to a digital world more quickly and improve the quality. She said an updated Digital Services Playbook is coming in the next month. The IRS is one of the few agencies to grasp how digital services can improve its mission.
January 14, 2015 -
When you make that call to the Internal Revenue Service with a tax question or a plea for help, maybe you'd better pack a lunch, says Senior Correspondent Mike Causey. You might be on hold for a very long time.
January 13, 2015