Five-Year IRS Plan
Many people may have heard or taken notice on April 17, 2018 when they went to e-file taxes on the deadline and found that the system was down. Naturally, this would bring questions to how well the IRS is running while people panicked about not being able to file. Of course, the IRS extended the deadline one day and everyone who wanted to file was still able to file. In fact, the system that accepts e-filing is only a year and a half old, so any concerns about the filing system being obsolete is overblown; however, the IRS has outlined a five year strategic plan to better serve the citizens.
One of the first, and most prominent points of the overhaul to come is the upgrade of the security system and IT systems. IRS Commissioner told Senate appropriators that 2.3 million cyber-attacks are launched against the IRS each day, and of those 2.3 million, 1 million of them are sophisticated. Furthermore, he stated that over half of the IRS’s hardware is obsolete. So in order to remedy these attacks and prevent any data breaches, the IRS has proposed this overhaul to completely protect our data.
Remember all the personal information that goes into filing with the IRS on an annual basis. It is beneficial not only to the country, but to each individual citizen that the IRS has the most advanced security and protection to protect our information. Currently, the IRS has steps to prevent tax fraud, but the upgrade of security will certainly help in today’s digital age.