Is The IRS Bound By Privacy Laws?....

[global1]

Or can they make public a person's tax forms? OR - Given all the discussion of Rmoney's taxes - can the IRS go back and review Rmoney's tax filings for discrepancies? If they find any problems - what can they do?

[ejpoeta]

1. as far as i know a person's tax returns are private.

my sister works at the irs and can't just go looking through people's taxes. It's private information.

[global1]

3. I Can Understand That But....

if a persons tax filing comes under question can the IRS in some official capacity go back and review it/them? I seem to recall that one needs to hold on to their filed tax forms for a certain number of years as they could be subject to re-review. Wasn't there even a program that if you knew someone was cheating on their taxes you were encouraged to rat on them? Aren't most people in fear of the IRS with respect to audits. Such audits have been the fodder for many a TV sitcom. I'm just curious now that Rmoney's taxes have become such a big issue if the IRS Agency itself can do something?

[FarCenter]

2. The IRS has audited Romney's returns for some years

“I haven't calculated that,” Romney replied. “I'm happy to go back and look, but my view is I’ve paid all the taxes required by law. From time to time, I’ve been audited, as happens I think to other citizens as well, and the accounting firm which prepares my taxes has done a very thorough and complete job paying taxes as legally due. I don’t pay more than are legally due, and frankly if I had paid more than are legally due, I don’t think I’d be qualified to become President. I’d think people would want me to follow the law and pay only what the Tax Code requires.”

But basically, his accountants prepare and file his returns, and the IRS has audited some of them. It's unlikely that he has much to do with coming up with strategies to minimize his taxes, to optimize the use of loopholes, or with actually preparing anything for the IRS. He has experts to do that.

[B Calm]

4. Rumor has it that he was audited 3 yrs ago

and it was found that he cheated big time on his taxes. Thus is the reason why he won't give us more than two years of his tax history!

[GeorgeGist]

11. That would be public knowledge.

B Honest.

[rox63]

5. I'm sure the Prez could arrange to get a peek at them

But he couldn't release the contents to the public.

[kywildcat]

7. No-actually he can't

he's bound under the same privacy laws. Think about ( forgive me), if Mittens wins and then decides to review YOUR tax return based on the premise that you may not make enough to vote.

Just as Bush didn't have access to Obamas taxes, Obama doesn't have access to anyone elses taxes-unless they provide a SIGNED release form to the IRS.

[auburngrad82]

8. Misusing federal tax information is five years in prison and $5000 fine.

Just looking at it for shits and giggles is misuse.

[cthulu2016]

9. If he did that impeachment would be proper. Period.

[kywildcat]

6. Tax Returns are held strictly confidential

during the last presidential campaign, several IRS employees were fired and subsequently prosecuted for simply looking up a few famous peoples returns. There are numerous controls in place that prevent idle research such as having to have the persons full social security number, their date of birth and a PIN number and a current address-if you plug in someones name-without having all of the other information needed to access returns it sets off numerous bells and whistles to their security.

I work for an accounting firm. If I typed in the name of anyone and I mean ANYONE that is not on my client list my job would be terminated immediately-and we take that very seriously.

The people that think the IRS can just research public statements to compare against tax filings are speculating-the IRS very simply cannot and will not do that. Nor will they release taxes without written consent from the tax payer. Frankly-I'm glad. Because if they would do that during a presdential campaign-then they would do that to any joe blow.

[Bluenorthwest]

10. The law says they can't....but they do.

. It is illegal, and they do it. In the past they did it willy nilly. In 2007, the IRS disciplined 219 wayward employees last year for snooping through our coveted 1040s. That's the most recent year I could find figures for. And note that the IRS did not fire those employees....