IRS Response to Audited Taxpayers Just too Slow GAO

The IRS now conducts most of its taxpayer audits by mail. That’s the good news. The bad news, reports the Government Accountability Office (GAO) is that the IRS misleads audited taxpayers by providing them with wildly unrealistic time frames on when it will respond to their correspondence. According to the GAO’s investigation, audit notices promise taxpayers that the IRS will respond to correspondence from them within â€Å"30 to 45 days,† when in reality it consistently takes the IRS â€Å"several months† to respond. Delays like that merely worsen the IRS’s rapidly falling public image and trust, while doing nothing to close the nation’s tax gap, which drives up taxes for all Americans. Also See: IRS Help From the U.S. Taxpayer Advocate Service The GAO found that as of early 2014, IRS data showed that it had failed to respond within its promised 30 to 45 days to more than half of correspondence from audited taxpayers. Many times, refunds are not issued until the audit is completed. Causes Calls They Just Can’t Answer When interviewed by GAO investigators, IRS tax examiners said the delayed responses resulted in â€Å"taxpayer frustration† and a raft of â€Å"unnecessary† calls to the IRS from taxpayers. Even more bothersome, the tax examiners who answer those so-called unnecessary calls said they could not answer the taxpayers, because they actually had no idea when the IRS would respond to their letters. â€Å"The taxpayers cannot understand why IRS would send a letter out with such unrealistic time frames and there is no acceptable way we can explain it to them,† one tax examiner told GAO. â€Å"That is why they are so frustrated. It puts us in a very awkward and embarrassing situation†¦. I try to gain control of the situation and tell the taxpayer I understand the frustration so that he will calm down so we can make the phone call productive, but this takes time and wastes time for both the taxpayer and me.† GAO’s Questions the IRS Could Not Answer The IRS shifted from its old face-to-face, sit-and-suffer audits to mail-based audits in 2012 with implementation of its Correspondence Examination Assessment Project (CEAP) claiming it would reduce taxpayer burden. Two years later, the GAO found that the IRS has no information showing how or if the CEAP program had affected taxpayer burden, tax collection compliance or its own costs of conducting the audits. â€Å"Thus,† reported the GAO, â€Å"it is not possible to tell whether the program is performing better or worse from one year to the next.† Also See: 5 Tips for Faster Tax Refunds In addition, the GAO found that the IRS had developed no guidelines on how its managers should use the CEAP program to make decisions. â€Å"For example, IRS did not track data on the number of times a taxpayer called IRS or sent documents,† reported the GAO. â€Å"Using incomplete information limits insights on the additional revenues identified from IRSs audit investments and on how much burden the audits impose on the taxpayers.† IRS is Working On It, But According to the GAO, the IRS created the CEAP program based on five problem areas it had identified involving communications with taxpayers, the audit process, expedited audit resolution, resource alignment, and program metrics. Even now, CEAP project managers have 19 program improvement efforts either finished or underway. However, the GAO found that the IRS has yet to define or track the intended benefits of its program improvement efforts. â€Å"As a result,† said the GAO, â€Å"it will be difficult to determine whether the efforts successfully addressed the problems.† A third-party consultant hired by the IRS to study the CEAP program recommended that IRS create a â€Å"tool† for better balancing program resources between handling calls from audited taxpayers and responding to correspondence from them. Also See: IRS At Last Adopts a Taxpayer Bill of Rights According to the GAO, IRS officials said that while they would â€Å"consider† the recommendations, they had no plans for how or when. â€Å"Thus, it will be difficult to hold IRS managers accountable for ensuring that the recommendations are completed in a timely manner,† stated the GAO.

Themes in Destroying Avalon Essay - 1022 Words

Kate McCaffrey’s novel â€Å"Destroying Avalon† is a very revealing text that is highly recommended for parents and teenagers to read. This novel teaches teenagers and parents the consequences of bullying over the cyber world and how it affects not only the victim but also the loved ones and even the bully. This is displayed by McCaffrey’s interesting plot structure. â€Å"Destroying Avalon† draws the attention of teenagers as it has great use of suggestive and unique language techniques. The subject matter of â€Å"Destroying Avalon† is Bullying, in the form of Cyber Bullying. The themes conveyed in this text are the consequences of bullying and belonging. This helps the reader consider how bullying affects the victim and how belonging is†¦show more content†¦After getting tormented continuously, it suddenly stops but Marshall - her best friend becomes the new target. The police gets involved after Avalon confesses to her parents about he r suffering. Marshall decides to end his life surprisingly, which changes the whole story.The bullies are unknown but Avalon suspects it is Alice the popular girl, but in the end the person who is the bully is unforeseen. This captivating book has an unexpected ending due to the dramatic plot twist - death and not having the stereotypical bully. â€Å"When I was on that roller coaster....† suggests that the events taken place were very eyeopening and abrupt. Every parent and teenager should be compelled to read this text because of the thought-provoking plot structure. Marshall and Sukey are two complex characters in this novel that assists readers to understand why people get bullied and why people choose to bully. The realistic characters McCaffrey has selected for this novel fits into today’s society and how people judge others by stereotyping them. Marshall is suspected to be a homosexual due to his feminism as he associates with girls. He isn’t the main character of the text but he changes the way other think about bullying after he decides to take his own life. He tends to be unsure of his own sexuality. â€Å"I can’t talk to Mum she’s so upset about Dad.† indicates that Marshall doesn’t communicate very much with his family as his parents are divorced. Marshall tends toShow MoreRelatedDestroying Avalon Mean Girls Essay710 Words   |  3 PagesDestroying Avalon and Mean Girls Comparative Essay What is worse, cyber bullying or face-to-face bullying? Argue in relation to both Destroying Avalon and Mean Girls, referring to specific events throughout both texts. Cyber bullying and face-to-face bullying are to major concerns in today’s society, the movie Mean Girls and the novel Destroying Avalon have themes about bullying in them. The texts show us how more people can be affected by certain types of bullying as well as how it canRead MoreBelonging Essay4112 Words   |  17 PagesOne flew over the cuckoo’s nest AF Keneally, Thomas The chant of Jimmie Blacksmith AF King, Stephen Carrie AF Lee, Harper To kill a mockingbird AF YA Li, Yiyun A thousand years of good prayers AF London, Jack White fang AF McCaffrey, Kate Destroying Avalon YA McCaffrey, Kate In ecstasy YA McCullers, Carson The heart is a lonely hunter AF Malouf, David Remembering Babylon AF Marchetta, Melina Looking for Alibrandi AF YA Marsden, John Tomorrow when the war began APB YA Marshall, James Vance WalkaboutRead MoreExploring Corporate Strategy - Case164366 Words   |  658 PagesThis case explores the strategic issues facing specialist hi-ï ¬  manufacture rs as the market around them changes, in particular the growth of online, digital and portable music sources. The case offers students the opportunity to reï ¬â€šect on a number of themes such as the segments of the market under consideration, the competences required to compete in new areas and the basis of competitive advantage. However, the primary focus of the case is around the barriers facing small players in global markets.

Buffalo Springfield Essay Example For Students

Buffalo Springfield Essay Aside from the Byrds, the only other band that had a tremendous influence on folk-rock and country-rock in the sixties was Buffalo Springfield. They were noted as a key impact upon the counter-culture of the sixties, and their music is symbolic of the turbulence and controversy that surfaced during harsh times of war. The groups formation was coincidental and legendary. Stephen Stills and Richie Furay were driving on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles in early April 1966, when by chance they pulled up behind a tattered black Pontiac hearse bearing Canada license plates. The car held Neil Young, a Canadian Stills had crossed paths with earlier, and Bruce Palmer, a bass player. The two were on search of their musical dreams when they fused with Stills and Furay, and began to work for status as a rock and roll band. Buffalo Springfield was soon signed with Atco Records, and began producing their self-titled debut album. This record contained the famous song, For What Its Worth, which trans cended pop charts to become an anthem for an entire generation. Their second album, Buffalo Springfield Again, achieved great acclaim for the powerful songs from Stills, Young, and Furay. Though Buffalo Springfield was established as the best folk-rock band in the sixties, the band was not intact for long. Even with the success that followed their popular albums, problems arose within the members of the group. Particularly, Stills and Young had stubborn, conflicting personalities. This lead to several rearrangements among members of the band. Young would often leave the group for long periods of time, while Palmer fought deportation. With all this divergence, the group decided to disband in 1968. Youngs determination for a solo career marked an inevitable split of Buffalo Springfield. Stills released a few solo albums and worked with another band, while Messina and Furay stayed together to form the rock group Poco. Rumors surfaced that the band would collaborate for a reunion, however, these circulated rumors never materialized.

Mastering a Language in Written and Spoken Word

Language is a complex phenomenon which can be viewed from different perspectives. On the one hand, the simplest view of language is that it is a means of communication and rendering essential information. On the other hand, not only language itself but the way it is used can bear significant meaning as well. Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Mastering a Language in Written and Spoken Word specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Mastering a language in written and spoken word testifies to a certain social standing of a person. Therefore, for some people language is a privilege that allows them to rise not only above animals but also above other people whose command of language is lower. On a certain level, knowledge can become painful to its bearer, depending on the kind of information acquired. Frederick Douglass’ experience shows that the skills of reading and writing do not always bring peace to mind. Once Dougl ass could read, he learned about the flagrant injustice towards the black population. This knowledge tormented him and he â€Å"would at times feel that learning to read had been a curse rather than a blessing† (Douglass 97). However, the desire to escape from the â€Å"mental darkness† he was doomed to by his white owners still prevailed in Douglass’ heart (Douglass 95). Mastering the language in reading and writing helped him to realize the true state of things. For Douglass, literacy started to associate with the notion of freedom, since through learning to read and write he grasped the basic ideas on human rights infringement and the necessity for abolition of slavery. Language as a privilege of the educated upper-class serves as a token of social success and recognition. For Amy Tan, there exist several â€Å"Englishes† which differ depending on the situation of speaking and on the people who take part in the conversation (Tan 249). On the one hand , there is her mother’s â€Å"broken† English, a random compilation of words not linked with each other grammatically and barely making sense to an unprepared listener (Tan 250). On the other hand, there is the grammatically and lexically perfect English Tan speaks to native speakers. Advertising Looking for essay on linguistics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The contrast between the two languages is obvious not only in the outward sentence structure. It can be observed in the way those two variations of language are perceived by other people. In a conflict situation with the hospital staff, it appears that speaking â€Å"broken† English downgrades a person to a level of a statistical unit. And only showing one’s education and social standings through perfect English earns respect and access to the appropriate social benefits. Certain words have great power and meaning in a language. The intricate ways language works is shown by Andrew Sullivan, who demonstrates the forbidden nature of the word ‘marriage’ for same-sex couples. By not stating this word directly in the title of his short story and by substituting it with a provocative shortening â€Å"M-word†, Sullivan emphasizes the existence of taboos on official relations between same-sex individuals (Sullivan 246). The tragedy of his story is that a word fully accepted in traditional society becomes taboo for him and thus, in a linguistic way, makes him an outcast among the others. Language is a powerful instrument of social influence. On the one hand, illiteracy is a way of screening people off a large corps of socially significant knowledge. On the other hand, mastering language on a high level opens access to the standard social benefits and general respect. Language is an efficient method of social ostracism, since socially unacceptable phenomena are labeled with unacceptable words. Therefore, lang uage is not just a set of words and rules: it bears much more information ‘between the lines’ that may crucially define one’s social success or failure. Works Cited Douglass, Frederick. â€Å"Learning to Read and Write.† A Writer’s Reference. Ed. Diana Hacker. 6th ed. New York, NY: Bedford/St Martin’s, 2007. 94–99. Print. Sullivan, Andrew. â€Å"The M-Word: Why It Matters to Me.† A Writer’s Reference. Ed. Diana Hacker. 6th ed. New York, NY: Bedford/St Martin’s, 2007. 246–248. Print.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Mastering a Language in Written and Spoken Word specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Tan, Amy. â€Å"Mother Tongue.† A Writer’s Reference. Ed. Diana Hacker. 6th ed. New York, NY: Bedford/St Martin’s, 2007. 249–253. Print. This essay on Mastering a Language in Written and Spoken Word was written and submitted by user Cap'nOz to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.