2016 National Taxpayer Advocate Report to Congress Available
In her recently released annual report, National Taxpayer Advocate Nina Olson urges the IRS to move to a more taxpayer-centric focus and recommends tax code simplification to Congress.
She makes a series of proposals aimed at changing the culture at the IRS from one focused on enforcement to one of taxpayer trust and confidence, adding that the tax system should be designed around taxpayers are trying to comply instead of around those that are actively trying not to.
Her report also says that our tax code’s “complexity rewards taxpayers who can afford expensive tax advice and discriminates against taxpayers who cannot.”. She buttresses this statement with fact: Congress has made more than 5,900 changes in the tax code since 2001, on average more than one change per day.
The National Taxpayer Advocate is an independent organization within the IRS, whose job is to ensure that taxpayers are treated fairly and know and understand their rights.
A summary of the report can be read here. A link to the full report and the executive summary and can be found here.
