National Taxpayer Advocate Delivers Report To Congress

WASHINGTON — Jan. 9, 2008 - National Taxpayer Advocate Nina E. Olson today released her annual report to Congress, focusing particular attention on the consequences of changes to the tax code enacted late in the year and the need for a coordinated IRS approach to combat the cash economy portion of the tax gap. Olson also urged Congress to enact a Taxpayer Bill of Rights and to authorize symbolic “apology payments” in egregious cases where taxpayers suffer significant harm as a result of IRS errors. The report contains a second volume that describes the results of six research studies, including one that shows that low income taxpayers fare much better in IRS Earned Income Tax Credit audits when they are represented by practitioners.............