IRS Announces Taxpayer Bill of Rights

Your rights as taxpayer may not always be clear or easy to find answers to, but that should change with the newly released Taxpayer Bill of Rights that was announced on Tuesday by the IRS.

Publication 1, “Your Rights as a Taxpayer” has been redesigned with the 10 rights and will be sent to millions of taxpayers this year when they receive IRS notifications on tax issues ranging from audits to collection. The information will also be available publicly in IRS facilities and on the IRS website.

"The Taxpayer Bill of Rights contains fundamental information to help taxpayers," said IRS Commissioner John A. Koskinen. "These are core concepts about which taxpayers should be aware. Respecting taxpayer rights continues to be a top priority for IRS employees, and the new Taxpayer Bill of Rights summarizes these important protections in a clearer, more understandable format than ever before."

The tax code includes numerous taxpayer rights, but they are scattered throughout the code, making it difficult for people to track and understand. Similar to the U.S. Constitution’s Bill of Rights, the Taxpayer Bill of Rights contains 10 provisions. They are:

• The Right to Be Informed
• The Right to Quality Service
• The Right to Pay No More than the Correct Amount of Tax
• The Right to Challenge the IRS’s Position and Be Heard
• The Right to Appeal an IRS Decision in an Independent Forum
• The Right to Finality
• The Right to Privacy
• The Right to Confidentiality
• The Right to Retain Representation
• The Right to a Fair and Just Tax System

The Taxpayer Bill of Rights is the result of guidance by the Taxpayer Advocate Service, an independent office within the IRS that represents the interests of taxpayers. National Taxpayer Advocate Nina E. Olson has worked towards adopting a Taxpayer Bill of Rights since 2007 and it was listed as her top priority in her most recent Annual Report to Congress.

"Congress has passed multiple pieces of legislation with the title of 'Taxpayer Bill of Rights,'" Olson said. "However, taxpayer surveys conducted by my office have found that most taxpayers do not believe they have rights before the IRS and even fewer can name their rights. I believe the list of core taxpayer rights the IRS is announcing today will help taxpayers better understand their rights in dealing with the tax system."

Source:
Internal Revenue Service