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Listening to the IRS Commissioner today - a couple thoughts


BulldogTom

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IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel gave the Keynote Address at the IRS Nationwide Tax forum today.   I think he is a nice guy and he is trying, but I am not sure he has the chops to make IRS an efficient government entity.

1.   He was very happy to get 60 Billion to spend on his department.   Some of that money is going to go to making videos with his cat to try and connect with taxpayers.  Mixed message.   Not sure that is how he wanted his remarks interpreted, but that is how I took it.

2.  He is determined to make the IRS digital from start to finish.   He says you can still do things the old way, but I think he is not telling the truth.   In the future, I think everyone will have an account at the IRS and the only way to communicate with the service will be virtually.

3.  He said something that struck me...They are able to find and audit lower income individuals and small businesses who cheat, but they have not been able to get the larger tax cheats.   They are hiring like crazy, but I think he knows he lost too much talent to audit more complicated returns.  He blames it on being underfunded for so long that they could not grow the IRS to the size it needs to be, but I think that is just his excuse to get more money from Congress.   I think he will try to keep the audit rates "fair" - his words not mine, but I think he knows he can't take on the big Tax Practices that are shielding the income of the largest companies and richest individuals because his auditors don't have what it takes to win.   Unless he can pull talent from the big 4 he is going to be permanently behind the eight ball on compliance at the upper levels of income.

Just my opinion, not offended if you disagree.

Tom
Longview, TX

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Efficient Government is an oxymoron.

So, you're saying that the IRS's best hope is that the CPAs that are disgusted with the lack of work/life balance at the Big 4 might apply to the IRS.

I think you nailed it all. Thank you for your review of Werfel's speech.

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On the other hand I remember 5 or 6 years ago when the IRS assigned only 1 Revenue Agent to perform a tax audit of Microsoft

because they didn't have the necessary expertise to even attempt to audit a company like Microsoft.

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I have spent the last 4 or 5 days wrestling with the so called "Financial Wellness Department" of my bank.

There are lots of bureaucrats in large businesses of all kinds who stay very busy following corporate rules rather than providing "customer service."

I ended up having to file an official complaint in order to gain access to the proceeds of several CDs that had already matured.

 

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3 hours ago, BrewOne said:

things have changed since the Untouchables...a bit more sophistication required.  But do Americans even look at tax cheats as crooks? I've certainly encountered a number of folks who just think it's a game.

Yes, I have certainly had a few clients in the past who wanted me to push the envelope as far as I would let them.

When the chances of getting audited fell below 1 %, many people stopped thinking that the risk was real.

Many big corporations and wealthy individuals who can afford high priced tax and legal advice and are encouraged  to use every tax loophole that can be exploited

definitely consider it a legitimate game. Our legal and tax systems have never been fair and balanced. Wealthy people and business entities have always received

much better outcomes because they can afford much better advice and assistance.☹️

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