Advisory Panel Urges IRS to Combat Identity Theft in its Tax Fraud Efforts

by Frank L. Brunetti on January 14, 2013

Combat Identity Theft

The Internal Revenue Service has funneled a significant amount of resources toward combating tax law violations. However, some argue that the federal agency is not paying equal attention to another important crime that is connected to tax fraud.

The IRS Advisory Council's 2012 annual report offers up several suggestions, including a recommendation to focus more attention on combating identity theft, which often leads to tax fraud. The group noted that by focusing too heavily on seeking out tax evaders and tightening its compliance standards, it was missing out on the opportunity to detect and prosecute identity thieves that have committed other costly tax-fraud crimes.