National Taxpayer Advocate Releases 2006 Report to Congress: Stresses Need for Action on AMT and Tax Gap; Focuses on IRS Collection and Transparency
IRS Press Release: (emphasis mine)
National Taxpayer Advocate Nina E. Olson today released her annual report to Congress, designating the alternative minimum tax for individuals (AMT) and the federal tax gap as the most serious problems facing taxpayers. The report also focuses extensively on concerns about IRS collection policies and the transparency of IRS information to the taxpaying public.Concerns about IRS Transparency
In her preface, Olson states that the primary theme of this year’s report is transparency and the important role it plays in tax administration. The report notes that the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requires the IRS to make certain procedures and guidance available to the public. The report credits the IRS with improving its compliance with FOIA requirements in recent years but concludes that further improvements are needed. “It goes without saying that the IRS needs to comply with the requirements of the law,” Olson said. “But we believe FOIA represents a floor on transparency, not a ceiling. Transparency benefits taxpayers and the IRS. It benefits taxpayers because they are entitled to know what legal standards and procedures the IRS is applying, and it benefits the IRS because we can improve our procedures when we receive meaningful feedback from informed taxpayers and practitioners,” she said.