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In 2005, IRS Was Bold, Aggressive and Relentless
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Prior to joining the Bush administration, Mark W.Everson was known as a hard-charger in the business world. A Texas businessman with a down-to-business, no-nonsense attitude, Everson was vice president of a $2 billion food services company and an executive with a French industrial company.
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Now, halfway through his five-year term as commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service, Everson is gaining a reputation for being equally hard-charging in the public sector.
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In fact, 2005 has proven to be quite a year for Everson. Collections up are. Document-matching is in full gear. And more taxpayers are being audited this year than last year.
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What does this mean? The IRS, once known as an agency lax on collections and enforcement, has changed. “When I was before the Finance Committee in March 2003 for mysql_confirmation hearing, I articulated three goals for the IRS: better serving the taxpayers; continued modernization; and enhanced enforcement activities to ensure everyone pays their fair share,” Everson said during a recent speech.
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And it appears that he has accomplished those goals. This year, in particular, has been a banner one:
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Enforcement revenues are up 10 percent to a record $47.3 billion.
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Audit numbers are up 20 percent — from 1,008,000 in 2004 to 1,216,000 this year. In fact, the number equals the amount last achieved in 1998.
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Audits of taxpayers with incomes over $100,000 surpassed 221,000, the highest figure in 10 years.
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Audits of small business increased after years of decline. In fact, this year 17,867 small businesses were audited compared to 7,294 last year.
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Audits of corporations with assets over $10 million increased 14 percent over last year.
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Collections are also up. Levies and liens have recovered to their highest levels since
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“I want to emphasize that these gains have been made while the IRS has continued to make strides in customer services,” Everson added during his speech.
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But if the last year can serve as an example, it’s clear that the commissioner has every intention of remaking the IRS into a pit bull.
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And if you’re one of the thousands of taxpayers cheating on taxes, even if for a small amount, you should be worried about that news.
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Darrin T. Mish is a Nationally recognized Attorney whose practice focuses on representing clients across the United States with IRS Problems.He is AV rated by Martindale-Hubbel and is a member of the American Society of IRS Problem Solvers and the Tax Freedom Institute. He has been honored by a listing in Martindale-Hubbel's Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers. He can be reached at his website at http://www.getIRShelp.com
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