IRS Increases Criminal Investigations, Prosecutions and Convictions of Tax Evaders and Preparers in 2012

The IRS recently released statistics on criminal investigations conducted during 2012.  These statistics focus on tax evaders and tax preparers that came under the scrutiny of the IRS during the past fiscal year.  In comparison to the previous year, investigations and prosecutions both increased by approximately 9% for evaders and tax preparers.

The IRS’s criminal investigation unit specializes in complex financial investigations.  The types of financial crimes that the bureau pursues include tax fraud, identity theft, money laundering, public corruption and offshore tax evasion.  Every year, the IRS’s Criminal Investigation (CI) unit conducts thousands of investigations into these types of activities.

The IRS has also increased the numbers of indictment filings as well – by 13%.  Convictions are also went up by 12% during this recent time period.  Conviction rates are solid – 93% for 2012.  The IRS’s CI unit is doing a very good of compiling the necessary evidence to build strong cases against the accused.  With today’s access to electronic data and the ability to track financial movements; it is more difficult for criminals to get away with these types of crimes.  In addition, the IRS is also spending more time going after the individuals responsible for helping these criminals and tax evaders.

It is clear that the IRS has improved their track record when it comes to criminal activities, utilizing their forensic capabilities in analyzing complex paperwork and computerized records and transactions.  The bureau’s goal is to be the best at financial investigations worldwide.

Visit the IRS's website to read the full IRS Criminal Investigations Annual Report for 2012.

Unfortunately, we all wind up in situations that can have dire consequences on our financial well-being.  Sometimes we are directly responsible for our debt or the catalyst can be outside of our control.  Whether it is simply bad spending habits, bad financial decisions, a job layoff, business decline due to the economy or medical hardship, you can find yourself in a bad financial situation and before you know it, you suddenly owe the IRS a significant amount of unpaid taxes.

As we all know the IRS is relentless.  If you owe taxes, the IRS can and will issue tax liens on your personal property and your income.  Between interest and penalties they assess, the amount owed seems completely insurmountable.

What you may not know is that the IRS has a program called “Fresh Start”.  The program has helped many taxpayers and small business resolve their tax situations.  However the original requirements of the program only covered a small pool of taxpayers.  With the new changes in place more individuals and small businesses have the opportunity to truly have a “Fresh Start”.

What you should know about the recently enhanced IRS Fresh Start program:

• An easier lien removal/elimination process

• Simplified access to developing an installment agreement

• Streamlined Offer in Compromise process

• Higher thresholds to qualify for the Fresh Start Program.

What’s new – Credit Score Relief:

• The ability to completely remove a federal tax lien from their credit report - up to 200 points improvement in an individual’s credit score.

Total Tax Solutions has over 20 years of experience in helping individuals and small businesses navigate the complexities of the Internal Revenue Service Tax codes.  Total Tax Solutions works directly with each client, addressing concerns, discussing strategy and representing clients through the process. The process always starts with an IRS Check Up, allowing us to gather, examine and determine the best remediation process possible.

The recently enhanced IRS Fresh Start program offers numerous benefits for any who owes back taxes and qualifies under the guidelines of the program.  At Total Tax Solutions, we believe that it is important that you know you all the options available to resolve your tax problems.  The current economy has left many in dire financial stress.  We encourage anyone with questions to contact us for more information or visit the IRS to investigate your options and end your IRS tax problems.

In short, the IRS has changed their program for the benefit of taxpayers; we can assist you in achieving financial freedom from your IRS debt.

If you're facing wage garnishment you may be unclear about the process. It's important to find out exactly how the wage garnishment procedure works so that you can make plans to repay your debt as quickly as possible and stop wage garnishments. To do this you'll need to clear up a few wage garnishment myths: