The IRS has shared its vision with its community of American taxpayers through the recent release of its 2018-2022 Strategic Plan. The Plan clearly articulates that vision to uphold the integrity of the nation’s tax system and preserve the public trust through the IRS’s talented workforce, innovative technology, and collaborative partnerships. A key component to protecting our nation’s tax system is the IRS’s commitment to proactively dedicated resources and bandwidth to eradicate tax-related identity theft. The experts at Optima Tax Reliefs reviews the actions the IRS is taking to mitigate the increasing number of cases of tax-related identity theft.

In 2014, the Federal Trade Commission received more tax-related identity theft reports than any other kind of identity theft. In response to the staggering proliferation of tax-related identity theft incidents, the IRS has prioritized a continued, comprehensive, and aggressive strategy to protect its taxpayers against tax-related identity theft. As part of their 2019 Annual Report, the IRS shared the successes of these efforts:

• The number of taxpayers who reported to the IRS that they were victims of identity theft fell seventy-one percent from 2015 to 2018
• The number of identity theft affidavits received by the IRS dropped from 677,000 in 2015 to 199,000 in 2018
• The number of confirmed identity theft returns stopped by the IRS declined by fifty-four percent from 2015 to 2018 (1.4 million in 2015 vs. 649,000 in 2018)
• The number of suspicious refunds recovered has declined by sixty-six percent

Despite these inroads into mitigating this epidemic, the IRS has stated a renewed and ongoing commitment to this endeavor as part of their six goals outlined in the IRS’s 2018-2022 Strategic Plan. As identity thieves become more sophisticated in their techniques and more equipped with new technology, the IRS recognizes that a continual, proactive approach – and a dedication of the required resources – is necessary to protect all American taxpayers.

The six strategic goals outlined in the 2019-2022 plan outline the IRS’s strategic priorities and will serve as the guiding principles to move the IRS forward over the coming years. Click here to read the full IRS 2018-2022 Strategic Plan.

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