Wilmington CPA accountant comments on IRS Taxpayer Survey Results

The IRS Oversight Board released its 2011 Taxpayer Attitude Survey recently. The actual survey result link is at the bottom of the post. This post also used an article from the Journal of Accountancy as a source. The IRS survey used 500 men and 500 women over 18. As anyone familiar with surveys knows, they can be great tools but can’t always be taken at face value.

Some of the most interesting findings include:

• 27% felt they should just have to pay what they felt was fair.
• 64% reported that fear of an IRS tax audit partially motivated their honesty on tax preparation.
• 66% stated that IRS 3^rd party reporting influenced their honesty IE Form W-2, Form 1099-MISC etc.
• 87% of respondents felt it was not at all acceptable to cheat on your tax preparation, a marked increase from previous surveys.
• On the flip side, 4% stated it was acceptable to cheat as much as possible.
• 96% agreed that everyone who does cheat on tax preparation should be held accountable for it.
• 97% felt it was every American’s civic duty to pay taxes.
• 77% stated they were very or somewhat satisfied with the IRS.

Here’s the link: http://www.treasury.gov/irsob/reports/2011/IRSOB%202010%20Taxpayer%20Attitude%20Survey.pdf

As a CPA firm in Wilmington NC, we probably have a better understanding of what the IRS actually is and isn’t than most Americans. While few folks would deal with them if they didn’t have to, and no on enjoys paying taxes, the IRS does a great job with its resources. Probably one of the more effective government agencies. Their revenue matching program alone has remarkably lowered the tax gap, although it places a heavy reporting burden on businesses.

If you’d like a free initial consult with a tax accountant in a Wilmington CPA firm, please call (910) 399-2705. We offer more than just tax preparation of course. But we do provide a friendly mix of tax expertise, proactive tax positioning, experience and customer service. Please read any of our taxation posts to get a better feel about us. We don’t guarantee a tax refund, obviously, but we will actively pursue every legitimate tax angle for you – not just fill in tax forms. Here’s the bulk of what we offer as tax services:

• For Sole Proprietors and SMLLC(s) - Schedule C and NC D400
• For C Corporations and LLC(s) - Form 1120 and NC CD405
• For S Corporations and LLC(s) - Form 1120S and NC CD401S
• For Partnerships and LLC(s) - Form 1065 and NC D403
• For Trusts and Estates - Form 1041 and NC A101
• Payroll tax - Form 941
• Unemployment tax - Form 940 and NCUI 101
• County business property tax listing preparation
• NC Sales Tax - E500