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Former IRS execs say they know how to close Tax Gap

September 18, 2021
Gap in the Zhongjianhe Bridge_Enshi-Hubei province-China_Photo by Xinhua via ECNS-CN1

Technology, not heavy equipment, can close the Tax Gap, according to two former IRS commissioners.

The Tax Gap has always been a concern of the Internal Revenue Service, Congress, and taxpayers who pay their taxes.

Basically, it’s the amount of money the IRS figures it is due from filers, but which it’s been unable to collect.

Two former IRS execs say they know a way the agency can collect more unpaid taxes. Even better, write former IRS Commissioner Charles Rossotti (he was head honcho from 1997 to 2001) and Fred Forman, former associate commissioner for modernization from 2000 to 2004, their suggestions can help the agency better serve taxpayers.

They lay out their new course for the IRS in a 61-page e-book published by Government Executive, a digital daily business news source for federal government departments and agencies and their leaders.

“The IRS’s existing technology does not prevent more rapid progress in achieving two key goals: providing top-quality service and reducing the tax gap,” write Rossotti and Forman in the announcement of their electronic publication.

“IRS already has delivered important, successful projects that produce large efficiency gains using modern technology,” they continue. “The path forward for the IRS is to build the next generation of tax return analysis, audit support and taxpayer service systems using techniques that have already succeeded.”

Rossotti’s and Forman’s book, “The Business Case for IRS Transformation,” earns this weekend’s Saturday Shout Out.

You can download it for free and see if you agree with their proposals.

You also might find these items of interest:

 

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TAX-SAVVY WAYS 
TO WRAP UP 2026

It’s over! With October’s extended filing deadline behind us, it is now time to focus on year-end moves to reduce your 2026 tax bill. 

You’ll find ways to do just that on the Tax Tips page (see the More Tax Posts drop-down menu at the top of the blog), as well as the separate tax tip pages for each month, notably October through December. If you’re on the Tax Tips page, you’ll find a monthly list at the end of this column. If you’re on another blog page, you can head straight to the October tips; at the bottom of that tips page you’ll find links to all the other 11 months’ collections of tax advice.

Not to spoil what you’ll find in that tax advice, but it does cover such things as tax deductions for charitable donations, investment moves that could reduce tax due, and ways to max out your tax-favored retirement savings. 

Finally, as the year winds down, things get hectic. There are lots of other things to occupy our time, like the much more fun upcoming holidays. But don’t lose sight of taxes, since timing is key. To be of use, most tax moves must be made by the end of the tax year. That’s Thursday, Dec. 31, which also is the last business day of the year. 

So that you don’t miss that final tax year deadline, also keep an eye on the countdown clock below. It will keep you on top of just how much time is left to make important, tax-saving moves. (Note: I’m in the Central Time Zone, so adjust accordingly for where you live.)

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