IRS Visits to Tax Preparers
Last fall, we learned that the IRS was planning to make some in-person visits to tax return preparers as part of a larger process of spot-checking to make sure tax preparers are following through on their obligations to prepare accurate tax returns. The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) has performed a review of the reports on those visits, and has determined that the results of the in-person reviews were somewhat lackluster.
Those who were visited by the IRS reported a positive experience with the IRS representatives, but 70 percent of those visited indicated they didn't expect to make any changes in their preparation process, even though the IRS targeted those preparers because they typically prepare forms on which errors are likely to occur. TiGTA recommended that the IRS create a better plan for identifying tax preparers who actually do make errors on the tax forms and work with them to improve results. In theory, this sounds like an excellent plan. Without specific targeting of tax preparers who are having problems, the program might be shelved.
Those who were visited by the IRS reported a positive experience with the IRS representatives, but 70 percent of those visited indicated they didn't expect to make any changes in their preparation process, even though the IRS targeted those preparers because they typically prepare forms on which errors are likely to occur. TiGTA recommended that the IRS create a better plan for identifying tax preparers who actually do make errors on the tax forms and work with them to improve results. In theory, this sounds like an excellent plan. Without specific targeting of tax preparers who are having problems, the program might be shelved.
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Gail Perry is Publisher at Sift Media US, Inc. and oversees the content on the Sift websites, AccountingWEB.com and GoingConcern.com. She has been the editor-in-chief at Sift Media US since 2007, overseeing the content on AccountingWEB.
Perry is a CPA and a former senior tax accountant with Big Four firm Deloitte. She maintains a small tax practice, she is a personal finance instructor, and the author of thirty books, including Surviving Financial Downsizing: A Practical Guide to Living Well on Less Income (Adams Media); QuickBooks on Demand (Que); Excel 2007 Macros Made Easy (McGraw Hill); The Complete Idiot's Guide to Doing Your Income Taxes (Alpha/MacMillan); and, most recently, Mint.com for Dummies (John Wiley & Sons). In addition, she is a former columnist for the Indianapolis Star and Indianapolis News daily newspapers.
Perry is a nationally recognized speaker who advises public accountants on using Internet tools to improve their accounting practices. She also taught a college-level introductory accounting class and was on staff at the Indiana CPA Society as a computer applications instructor. For five years, she was a contributing editor for Accounting Today magazine before taking over the helm at AccountingWEB.
Perry is a graduate of Indiana University where she earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism. She returned to school to study accounting at Illinois State University, passed the CPA exam (in one sitting!), and worked for Deloitte in the Chicago tax department.
Gail has been named one of the 25 Most Powerful Women in Accounting by CPA Practice Advisor magazine and the American Society of Women Accountants.
Perry is a CPA and a former senior tax accountant with Big Four firm Deloitte. She maintains a small tax practice, she is a personal finance instructor, and the author of thirty books, including Surviving Financial Downsizing: A Practical Guide to Living Well on Less Income (Adams Media); QuickBooks on Demand (Que); Excel 2007 Macros Made Easy (McGraw Hill); The Complete Idiot's Guide to Doing Your Income Taxes (Alpha/MacMillan); and, most recently, Mint.com for Dummies (John Wiley & Sons). In addition, she is a former columnist for the Indianapolis Star and Indianapolis News daily newspapers.
Perry is a nationally recognized speaker who advises public accountants on using Internet tools to improve their accounting practices. She also taught a college-level introductory accounting class and was on staff at the Indiana CPA Society as a computer applications instructor. For five years, she was a contributing editor for Accounting Today magazine before taking over the helm at AccountingWEB.
Perry is a graduate of Indiana University where she earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism. She returned to school to study accounting at Illinois State University, passed the CPA exam (in one sitting!), and worked for Deloitte in the Chicago tax department.
Gail has been named one of the 25 Most Powerful Women in Accounting by CPA Practice Advisor magazine and the American Society of Women Accountants.
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