IRS' Compliance Programs to Reduce the Tax Gap
T-GGD-91-11: Published: Mar 13, 1991. Publicly Released: Mar 13, 1991.
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GAO discussed Internal Revenue Service (IRS) compliance programs to reduce the tax gap. GAO noted that: (1) in 1988, IRS estimated the gross tax gap to be $84.9 billion for 1987 and projected that it would reach $113.7 billion by 1992; (2) IRS estimated that nonfilers accounted for $7 billion and underreporters accounted for $48 billion of the 1987 tax gap; (3) IRS could improve its use of information returns to identify and pursue nonfilers and underreporters; (4) high-income nonfilers, or those making over $100,000 a year, had a better chance of escaping IRS scrutiny than lower-income nonfilers; (5) three IRS service centers did not fully pursue approximately half of the high-income nonfilers due to flawed work-load priorities and the exclusion of high-income nonfilers from a program that assesses taxes for nonfilers; (6) when IRS received a delinquent return from a high-income filer, it did not use information returns to ensure that all owed taxes were paid; (7) IRS could have avoided approximately 40 percent of unproductive underreporter cases in one service center by better using information returns and other data in its computer match; (8) IRS did not notify the Social Security Administration (SSA) after finding errors in wages that employers previously reported to SSA, which could result in overpayment of social security benefits; and (9) repealing underreporter penalties could weaken the voluntary compliance incentive for taxpayers to report all income shown on information returns.
Jan 14, 2021
Tax Administration:
Better Coordination Could Improve IRS's Use of Third-Party Information Reporting to Help Reduce the Tax GapGAO-21-102: Published: Dec 15, 2020. Publicly Released: Jan 14, 2021.
Nov 18, 2020
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IRS Reorganization:
Planning Addressed Key Reform Practices, but Goals and Measures for the Plan Have Not Been FinalizedGAO-21-18: Published: Oct 19, 2020. Publicly Released: Nov 18, 2020.
Nov 9, 2020
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Opportunity Zones:
Improved Oversight Needed to Evaluate Tax Expenditure PerformanceGAO-21-30: Published: Oct 8, 2020. Publicly Released: Nov 9, 2020.
Oct 19, 2020
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Tax Administration:
Opportunities Exist to Improve Oversight of Hospitals' Tax-Exempt StatusGAO-20-679: Published: Sep 17, 2020. Publicly Released: Oct 19, 2020.
Sep 23, 2020
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Taxpayer Service:
IRS Could Improve the Taxpayer Experience by Using Better Service Performance MeasuresGAO-20-656: Published: Sep 23, 2020. Publicly Released: Sep 23, 2020.
Aug 31, 2020
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Abusive Tax Schemes:
Offshore Insurance Products and Associated Compliance RisksGAO-20-589: Published: Jul 30, 2020. Publicly Released: Aug 31, 2020.
Jun 29, 2020
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Taxpayer Compliance:
More Income Reporting Needed for Taxpayers Working through Online PlatformsGAO-20-366: Published: May 28, 2020. Publicly Released: Jun 29, 2020.
Jun 16, 2020
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Tax Exempt Organizations:
IRS Increasingly Uses Data in Examination Selection, but Could Further Improve Selection ProcessesGAO-20-454: Published: Jun 16, 2020. Publicly Released: Jun 16, 2020.
May 1, 2020
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Management Report:
Improvements Are Needed to Enhance the Internal Revenue Service's Internal Control over Financial ReportingGAO-20-480R: Published: May 1, 2020. Publicly Released: May 1, 2020.
Apr 30, 2020
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Priority Open Recommendations:
Internal Revenue ServiceGAO-20-548PR: Published: Apr 23, 2020. Publicly Released: Apr 30, 2020.
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