When I served as Commissioner of Internal Revenue from 2003 through 2007, the two fears that kept me up at night were of a botched filing season and a massive data breach. The damage from either event in the current environment would extend well beyond the nation’s tax system and further erode already badly undermined faith in government itself. The continuing ability of the IRS to process tax returns and issue refunds on the one hand, and protect taxpayer information on the other, depend upon the IRS having a workforce and information systems that are up to the task. At this point, the IRS has neither.
During my time with the IRS, I saw my fair share of mistakes made by businesses that could have easily been avoided. These days, with a large number of taxpayers[1] using a tax return preparer, it is a bit surprising that there are opportunities still being overlooked by both companies and individuals alike.
After nine years of a contentious relationship with the Internal Revenue Service, Republicans find themselves in the uncomfortable position of needing the IRS to deliver on tax reform.
The Endless Summer was the surfing movie for boys when I was growing up in Southern California in the 1970s – a 1966 movie about two surfers following the Summer Sun around the world in search of the perfect wave – with the prospect of Summer never ending.
The future is a foreign country, they will do things differently there (apologies to Hartley). The assumptions of the path forward for our country were shattered with the election results – and certainly no more so than in the area of tax policy. Instead of a long grind primarily focused about taxes and the wealthy, the nation will now focus on potentially sweeping tax reform and a lowering of tax burdens.
