Washington – Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury and Internal Revenue Service released a six-year plan to modernize IRS business operations. Modernization is essential for the IRS to provide American taxpayers with excellent service, help them meet their tax obligations and enforce the law with integrity and fairness to all.
“The IRS supports one of the largest and most complex business operations in the world, proudly serving millions of individual filers, small businesses, tax exempt organizations and large corporations,” said Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin. “Technological innovation is vital to the IRS successfully executing its mission, including protecting taxpayer data, enhancing services to taxpayers, and ensuring the health of the nation’s tax system.”
The plan is organized around four “Modernization Pillars” critical to the IRS’s mission and future development:
- Taxpayer Experience: The IRS will deploy a range of new and enhanced technology solutions to help taxpayers understand the law and resolve issues quickly and efficiently. Advanced programming will empower taxpayers with information about their account, tax obligations and payment options while protecting taxpayer information and data.
- Core Taxpayer Services and Enforcement: The IRS will continue to evolve core tax systems to provide quicker and easier tax filing services by integrating tax processing systems that increase cost effectiveness, enable real-time processing of returns and deploy data analytics to combat fraud.
- Modernized IRS Operations: The IRS will improve operational efficiencies by reducing system complexities, which will accelerate the pace of change and the adoption of emerging technologies to reduce costs and manual effort. This approach includes procuring software that completes laborious tasks in seconds through automation and artificial intelligence, eliminating error-prone manual work and increasing speed and accuracy.
- Cybersecurity and Data Protection: The IRS’s systems contain a high volume of sensitive taxpayer data, representing a unique target for cyberattacks. The Service has recently encountered increasing advanced cyber threats. The plan introduces unparalleled data and refund fraud protections, protecting against approximately 1.4 billion cyberattacks annually and proactively responding and anticipating the changing threat environment.
The IRS Integrated Modernization Business Plan provides a full view of expected capabilities through FY 2024. The IRS looks forward to working with stakeholders to monitor and improve the plan over time and delivering world class customer service.
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