IRS audit plans revealed
The IRS has announced 2010 audit plans, which include audits in the following three areas:
* A three-year random audit program started by the IRS in 2007 will now be continued indefinitely. These random audits of individual income tax returns are used by the IRS to collect noncompliance data for adjusting general audit formulas and updating tax gap estimates.
* Another audit target: tax returns claiming the homebuyer tax credit. The IRS expects to open 200,000 audits by the end of 2010 to address potential fraud in claiming this credit. The Service will also be watching the recapture of the credit via public databases of real estate sales. Generally, those who sell a home within three years of taking the tax credit must pay it back.
* According to IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman, the Service is planning to focus significant audit resources on individuals with millions of dollars in assets or income, including the business entities controlled by these high-income taxpayers.
