Annette Nellen - Greater Transparency For Taxpayers

The IRS National Taxpayer Advocate’s Annual Report to Congress released in February ( IR-2019-11 (2/12/19) + Report) includes the 2nd edition of the “Purple Book” with 59 legislative recommendations to improve taxpayer rights and tax administration. Two of the recommendations aim to strengthen taxpayer rights. They also improve the transparency of the tax system, which is a principle of good tax policy.

The two recommendations:

1. Codify as Section 1 of the Internal Revenue Code:
a. The Taxpayer Bill of Rights (at present, see Section 7803(a)(3)).
b. A Taxpayer Rights Training Requirement, and
c. The IRS Mission Statement

2. Require the IRS to issue all taxpayers a “receipt” that shows how their tax dollars are spent.

For details, see links and all 59 recommendations here.

These are great ideas as they bring greater attention to these important items to help taxpayers better understand the tax system and the federal budget.

I recommend they go farther:

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