The Internal Revenue Service recently announced a user-friendly Taxpayer Bill of Rights. It will take the existing rights within the tax code and group them into 10 categories so that it will be more visible and easier for taxpayers to find on the IRS website.
Publication 1, “Your Rights as a Taxpayer,” has been updated with the 10 rights and will be sent to taxpayers this year when they receive IRS notices such as audits or collections. In addition, the new and improved rights will also be displayed publicly in all IRS facilities.
What’s the reason for the change? The IRS says it released the Taxpayer Bill of Rights after discussions with the Taxpayer Advocate Service, an organization that represents the interests of U.S. taxpayers.
“Since 2007, adopting a Taxpayer Bill of Rights has been a goal of National Taxpayer Advocate Nina E. Olson, and it was listed as the Advocate’s top priority in her most recent Annual Report to Congress,†says the IRS in a statement.
The Taxpayer Bill of Rights contains 10 provisions:
1. The Right to Be Informed
2. The Right to Quality Service
3. The Right to Pay No More than the Correct Amount of Tax
4. The Right to Challenge the IRS’s Position and Be Heard
5. The Right to Appeal an IRS Decision in an Independent Forum
6. The Right to Finality
7. The Right to Privacy
8. The Right to Confidentiality
9. The Right to Retain Representation
10. The Right to a Fair and Just Tax System