Taxpayers have rights too?

June 19, 2014 by Karen Reed, EA
Dictionary with the focus on the word Taxpayer

For several years, National Taxpayer Advocate Nina Olson has been arguing for the simplification and codification of taxpayer rights and responsibilities. The idea behind it is that taxpayers will be more likely to voluntarily comply with our tax laws when they feel respected by those who pass and enforce them. On June 10, 2014, the IRS and Ms. Olson announced the adoption of the new “Taxpayer Bill of Rights,” which consists of ten provisions taken from multiple existing rights that are spread out among the thousands of pages of the Internal Revenue Code.

IRS Publication 1, which is sent to millions of taxpayers each year with their audit, notice and collection letters, has been updated to include the new provisions. A brief explanation of each taxpayer right is included in the publication and on the IRS website.

These are our fundamental rights as taxpayers:

• The Right to Be Informed
• The Right to Quality Service
• The Right to Pay No More than the Correct Amount of Tax
• The Right to Challenge the IRS’s Position and Be Heard
• The Right to Appeal an IRS Decision in an Independent Forum
• The Right to Finality
• The Right to Privacy
• The Right to Confidentiality
• The Right to Retain Representation
• The Right to a Fair and Just Tax System

Additional information explaining how these rights apply to specific situations can be found on the Taxpayer Advocate Service website.

 

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Karen Reed, EA

 

During her years as an audit representative for TaxAudit, Karen successfully defended the company’s members throughout the entire federal and state audit processes, handled cases assigned to US Tax Court, and developed procedures to make the audit process easier for taxpayers. Karen attributes a great deal of her tax acumen to the six tax seasons she spent as a return reviewer, analyzing thousands of returns. Responding in writing to questions from taxpayers, she became familiar with the common mistakes self-preparers make. Karen was previously the manager of the Tax Education and Research Department and the Director of Communications at TaxAudit. Her tax advice has been featured in U.S. News and World Report, the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune, and other publications.


 

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