Internal Revenue Service - wikipedia Internal Revenue Service For the Indian Tax Body, see Indian Revenue Service. For the Ghanaian institution, see Internal Revenue Service ( Ghana ). `` IRS '' redirects here. For other uses, see IRS ( disambiguation ). Internal Revenue Service IRS Agency overview Formed July 1, 1862 ; 155 years ago ( 1862 - 07 - 01 ) ( though the name originates from 1918 ) Jurisdiction Federal government of the United States Headquarters Internal Revenue Service Building 1111 Constitution Ave., NW ; Washington, DC 20224, U.S Employees 79,890 ( 2015 ) Annual budget $11.4 billion ( 2015 ) Agency executive Commissioner, John Koskinen Parent agency Department of the Treasury Website www.irs.gov This article is part of a series on Taxation in the United States of America Federal taxation Alternative minimum tax Capital gains tax Corporate tax Estate tax Excise tax Gift tax Income tax Payroll tax Internal Revenue Service ( IRS ) Internal Revenue Code ( IRC ) IRS tax forms Revenue by state History Constitutional authority Taxpayer standing Court Protest Evasion State and local taxation State income tax Property tax Sales tax Use tax Land value tax State tax levels Federal tax reform Automated payment transaction tax 9 -- 9 -- 9 Competitive Tax Plan Efficient Taxation of Income FairTax Flat tax Hall -- Rabushka flat tax Kemp Commission Taxpayer Choice Act USA Tax Value added tax Border - adjustment tax United States portal Internal Revenue Service Building on Constitution Avenue in Washington, D.C.. IRS Building in Washington D.C. IRS location sign on Constitution Avenue, Washington, D.C. The Internal Revenue Service ( IRS ) is the revenue service of the United States federal government. The government agency is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury, and is under the immediate direction of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue, who is appointed to a five - year term by the President of the United States. The IRS is responsible for collecting taxes and administering the Internal Revenue Code, the main body of federal statutory tax law of the United States. The duties of the IRS include providing tax assistance to taxpayers and pursuing and resolving instances of erroneous or fraudulent tax filings. The IRS has also overseen various benefits programs, and enforces portions of the Affordable Care Act. The IRS originated with the Commissioner of Internal Revenue, a federal office created in 1862 to assess the nation 's first income tax, which was to raise funds for the American Civil War. The temporary measure provided over a fifth of the Union 's war expenses and was allowed to expire a decade later. In 1913, the Sixteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified authorizing Congress to impose a tax on income, and the Bureau of Internal Revenue was established. In 1953, the agency was renamed the Internal Revenue Service and significantly reorganized. The Tax Reform Act of 1986 modernized the IRS and restructured it along a private sector model. In the 2015 fiscal year, the IRS processed almost 240 million returns and collected approximately $3.3 trillion in revenue, spending 35 ¢ for every $100 it collected. Contents 1 History 1.1 American Civil War ( 1861 -- 65 ) 1.2 Post Civil War, Reconstruction, and popular tax reform ( 1866 -- 1900 ) 2 Wars ( 1900 - 2000 ) 2.1 Presidential tax returns ( 1973 ) 2.2 Computerization ( 1959 -- present ) 2.3 History of the IRS name 3 Current organization 3.1 Commissioner 3.2 Taxpayer Advocates 3.3 Programs 4 Tax collection statistics 4.1 Outsourcing collection and tax - assistance 5 Administrative functions 6 Controversies 7 See also 8 Notes 9 Further reading 10 External links History See also : Taxation history of the United States American Civil war ( 1861 -- 65 ) George S. Boutwell was the first Commissioner of Internal Revenue under President Abraham Lincoln. In July 1862, during the American Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln and Congress passed the Revenue Act of 1862, creating the office of Commissioner of Internal Revenue and enacting a temporary income tax to pay war expenses. The Revenue Act of 1862 was passed as an emergency and temporary war - time tax. It copied a relatively new British system of income taxation, instead of trade and property taxation. The first income tax was passed in 1862 : The initial rate was 3 % on income over $800, which exempted most wage - earners. In 1862 the rate was 3 % on income between $600 and $10,000, and 5 % on income over $10,000. In 1864 the rate was 5 % on income between $600 and $5,000 ; 7.5 % on income $5,000 -- 10,000 ; and 10 % on income $10,000 and above. By the end of the war, 10 % of Union households had paid some form of income tax, and the Union raised 21 % of its war revenue through income taxes. Post Civil war, Reconstruction, and popular tax Reform ( 1866 -- 1900 ) After the Civil War, Reconstruction, railroads, and transforming the North and South war machines towards peacetime required public funding. However, in 1872, seven years after the war, lawmakers allowed the temporary Civil War income tax to expire. Income taxes evolved, but in 1894 the Supreme Court declared the Income Tax of 1894 unconstitutional in Pollock v. Farmers ' Loan & Trust Co., a decision that contradicted Hylton v. United States. The federal government scrambled to raise money. In 1906, with the election of President Theodore Roosevelt, and later his successor William Howard Taft, the United States saw a populist movement for tax reform. This movement culminated during then candidate Woodrow Wilson 's election of 1912 and in February 1913, the ratification of the Sixteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution : `` The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration. '' This granted Congress the specific power to impose an income tax without regard to apportionment among the states by population. By February 1913, 36 states had ratified the change to the Constitution. It was further ratified by six more states by March. Of the 48 states at the time, 42 ratified it. Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Utah rejected the amendment ; Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Florida did not take up the issue. People filing tax forms in 1920. In the first year after ratification of the Sixteenth Amendment, no taxes were collected. Instead, taxpayers simply completed the form and the IRS checked the form for accuracy. The IRS 's workload jumped by ten-fold, triggering a massive restructuring. Professional tax collectors began to replace a system of `` patronage '' appointments. The IRS doubled its staff, but was still processing 1917 returns in 1919. Wars ( 1900 - 2000 ) A constitutional amendment to allow the Federal government to collect income taxes was proposed by President Taft in 1909, but the 16th Amendment was not ratified until 1913, just before the start of the First World War. In 1913 the first edition of the 1040 form was introduced. A copy of the very first IRS 1040 form, can be found at the IRS website showing that only those with incomes of $3,000 ( adjusted for inflation, the equivalent of $74,986 in 2017 ) or more were instructed to file. Income tax raised much of the money required to finance the war effort ; in 1918 a new Revenue Act established a top tax rate of 77 %. In 1919 the IRS was tasked with enforcement of laws relating to prohibition of alcohol sales and manufacture ; this was transferred to the jurisdiction of the Department of Justice in 1930. After repeal in 1933, the IRS resumed collection of taxes on beverage alcohol. The alcohol, tobacco and firearms activities of the bureau were segregated into the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in 1972. A new tax act was passed in 1942 as the United States entered the Second World War. This act included a special wartime surcharge. The number of American citizens who paid income tax increased from about 4 million in 1939 to over 42 million by 1945. In 1953, President Truman 's reform plan was carried out and the `` patronage '' system of appointments was ended. The organization 's name was formally changed from `` Bureau of Internal Revenue '' to `` Internal Revenue Service ''. In 1954 the filing deadline was moved to April 15. The first electronic computers were put to work at the IRS in 1961. By 1986, limited electronic filing of tax returns was possible. The 1998 IRS Reform act changed the organization from geographically oriented to an organization based on four operating divisions. Presidential tax returns ( 1973 ) From the 1950s through the 1970s, the IRS began using technology such as microfilm to keep and organize records. Access to this information proved controversial, when President Richard Nixon 's tax returns were leaked to the public. His tax advisor, Edward L. Morgan, became the fourth law - enforcement official to be charged with a crime during Watergate. John Requard, Jr., accused of leaking the Nixon tax returns, collected delinquent taxes in the slums of Washington. In his words : `` We went after people for nickels and dimes, many of them poor and in many cases illiterate people who did n't know how to deal with a government agency. '' Requard admitted that he saw the returns, but denied that he leaked them. Reporter Jack White of The Providence Journal, won the Pulitzer Prize for reporting about Nixon 's tax returns. Nixon, with a salary of $200,000, paid $792.81 in federal income tax in 1970 and $878.03 in 1971, with deductions of $571,000 for donating `` vice-presidential papers ''. This was one of the reasons for his famous statement : `` Well, I 'm not a crook. I 've earned everything I 've got. '' So controversial was this leak, that most later US Presidents released their tax returns ( though sometimes only partially ). These returns can be found online at the Tax History Project. Computerization ( 1959 -- present ) By the end of the Second World War, the IRS was handling sixty million tax returns each year, using a combination of mechanical desk calculators, accounting machines and pencil and paper forms. In 1948 punch card equipment was used. The first trial of a computer system for income tax processing was in 1955, when an IBM 650 installed at Kansas City processed 1.1 million returns. The IRS was authorized to proceed with computerization in 1959, and purchased IBM 1401 and IBM 7070 systems for local and regional data processing centers. The Social Security Number was used for taxpayer identification starting in 1965. By 1967, all returns were processed by computer and punched card data entry was phased out. Information processing in the IRS systems of the late 1960s was in batch mode ; microfilm records were updated weekly and distributed to regional centers for handling tax inquiries. A project to implement an interactive, realtime system, the `` Tax Administration System '' was launched, that would provide thousands of local interactive terminals at IRS offices. However, the General Accounting Office prepared a report critical of the lack of protection of privacy in TAS, and the project was abandoned in 1978. In 1995, the IRS began to use the public Internet for electronic filing. Since the introduction of e-filing, self - paced online tax services have flourished, augmenting the work of tax accountants, who were sometimes replaced. In 2003, the IRS struck a deal with tax software vendors : The IRS would not develop online filing software and, in return, software vendors would provide free e-filing to most Americans. In 2009, 70 % of filers qualified for free electronic filing of federal returns. According to an inspector general 's report, released in November 2013, identity theft in the United States is blamed for US $4 billion worth of fraudulent 2012 tax refunds by the IRS. Fraudulent claims were made with the use of stolen taxpayer identification and Social Security numbers, with returns sent to addresses both in the US and internationally. Following the release of the findings, the IRS stated that it resolved most of the identity theft cases of 2013 within 120 days, while the average time to resolve cases from the 2011 / 2012 tax period was 312 days. In September 2014, IRS Commissioner John Koskinen expressed concern over the organization 's ability to handle Obamacare and administer premium tax credits that help people pay for health plans from the health law 's insurance exchanges. It will also enforce the law 's individual mandate, which requires most Americans to hold health insurance. In January 2015, Fox News obtained an email which predicted a messy tax season on several fronts. The email was sent by IRS Commissioner Koskinen to workers. Koskinen predicted the IRS would shut down operations for two days later this year which would result in unpaid furloughs for employees and service cuts for taxpayers. Koskinen also said delays to IT investments of more than $200 million may delay new taxpayer protections against identity theft. Also in January 2015, the editorial board of The New York Times called the IRS budget cuts penny-wise - and - pound - foolish, where for every dollar of cuts in the budget, $6 were lost in tax revenue. History of the IRS name IRS and Department of the Treasury seal on lectern As early as the year 1918, the Bureau of Internal Revenue began using the name `` Internal Revenue Service '' on at least one tax form. In 1953, the name change to the `` Internal Revenue Service '' was formalized in Treasury Decision 6038. Current organization The 1980s saw a reorganization of the IRS. A bipartisan commission was created with several mandates, among them to increase customer service and improve collections. Congress later enacted the Internal Revenue Service Restructuring and Reform Act of 1998. As a result of that Act, the IRS now functions under four major operating divisions : Large Business and International division ( LB&I ), the Small Business / Self - Employed ( SB / SE ) division, the Wage and Investment ( W&I ) division, and Tax Exempt & Government Entities ( TE / GE ) division. Effective October 1, 2010, the name of the Large and Mid-Size Business division changed to the Large Business & International ( LB&I ) division. The IRS also includes a criminal law enforcement division ( IRS Criminal Investigation Division ). While there is some evidence that customer service has improved, lost tax revenues in 2001 were over $323 billion. The IRS has its headquarters in Washington, D.C., and does most of its computer programming in Maryland. It currently operates five submission processing centers which process returns sent by mail and returns filed electronically via E-file. Different types of returns are processed at the various centers with some centers processing individual returns and others processing business returns. Originally there were ten submission processing centers across the country. In the early 2000s the IRS closed five centers : Andover, MA ; Holtsville, NY ; Philadelphia, PA ; Atlanta, GA ; and Memphis, TN. This currently leaves five centers processing returns : Austin, TX ; Covington, KY ; Fresno, CA ; Kansas City, MO ; and Ogden, UT. In October 2016 the IRS announced that three more centers will close over a six - year period : Covington, KY in 2019 ; Fresno, CA in 2021 ; and Austin, TX in 2024. This will leave Kansas City, MO and Ogden, UT as the final two submission processing centers after 2024. The IRS also operates three computer centers around the country ( in Detroit, Michigan ; Martinsburg, West Virginia ; and Memphis, Tennessee ). Commissioner Main article : Commissioner of Internal Revenue There have been 47 previous commissioners of Internal Revenue and 26 acting commissioners since the agency was created in 1862. Senior official at the Office of Management and Budget Daniel Werfel was announced as the acting Commissioner of Internal Revenue. Werfel, who attended law school at the University of North Carolina and attained a master 's degree from Duke University, prepared the government for a potential shutdown in 2011 by determining which services that would remain in existence. No IRS commissioner has served more than five years and one month since Guy Helvering, who served 10 years until 1943. The most recent commissioner to serve the longest term was Doug Shulman, who was appointed by President George W. Bush and served for five years. Taxpayer advocates The Office of the Taxpayer Advocate, also called the Taxpayer Advocate Service, is an independent office within the IRS responsible for assisting taxpayers in resolving their problems with the IRS, as well as identifying systemic problems that exist within the IRS. The current United States Taxpayer Advocate, also known as the National Taxpayer Advocate, is Nina E. Olson. Programs Volunteer Income Tax Assistance ( VITA ) and Tax Counseling for the Elderly ( TCE ) are volunteer programs that the IRS runs to train volunteers and provide tax assistance and counseling to taxpayers. Volunteers can study e-course material, take tests, and practice using tax - preparation software. Link & Learn Taxes ( searchable by keyword on the IRS website ), is the free e-learning portion of VITA / TCE program for training volunteers. Tax collection statistics Collections before Refunds by Type of Return, Fiscal Year 2010 Individual income tax ( 49.9 % ) Employment taxes ( 35.3 % ) Corporate income taxes ( 11.9 % ) Excise taxes ( 2.0 % ) Estate taxes ( 0.7 % ) Other ( 0.2 % ) Summary of Collections before Refunds by Type of Return, Fiscal Year 2010 : Type of Return Number of Returns Gross Collections to the nearest million US $ Individual Income Tax 141,166,805 1,163,688 Employment Taxes 29,493,234 824,188 Corporate Income Tax 2,355,803 277,937 Excise Taxes 836,793 47,190 Gift Tax 286,522 2,820 Estate Tax 28,780 16,931 Total 174,405,682 2,332,754 New York City field office for the IRS. For fiscal year 2009, the U.S. Congress appropriated spending of approximately $12.624 billion of `` discretionary budget authority '' to operate the Department of the Treasury, of which $11.522 billion was allocated to the IRS. The projected estimate of the budget for the IRS for fiscal year 2011 was $12.633 billion. By contrast, during Fiscal Year ( FY ) 2006, the IRS collected more than $2.2 trillion in tax ( net of refunds ), about 44 percent of which was attributable to the individual income tax. This is partially due to the nature of the individual income tax category, containing taxes collected from working class, small business, self - employed, and capital gains. The top 5 % of income earners pay 38.284 % of the federal tax collected. As of 2007, the agency estimates that the United States Treasury is owed $354 billion more than the amount the IRS collects. In 2011, 234 million tax returns were filed allowing the IRS to collect $2.4 trillion out of which $384 billion were attributed to mistake or fraud. Outsourcing collection and tax - assistance In September 2006, the IRS started to outsource the collection of taxpayers debts to private debt collection agencies. Opponents to this change note that the IRS will be handing over personal information to these debt collection agencies, who are being paid between 29 % and 39 % of the amount collected. Opponents are also worried about the agencies ' being paid on percent collected, because it will encourage the collectors to use pressure tactics to collect the maximum amount. IRS spokesman Terry Lemons responds to these critics saying the new system `` is a sound, balanced program that respects taxpayers ' rights and taxpayer privacy. '' Other state and local agencies also use private collection agencies. In March 2009, the IRS announced that it would no longer outsource the collection of taxpayers debts to private debt collection agencies. The IRS decided not to renew contracts to private debt collection agencies, and began a hiring program at its call sites and processing centers across the country to bring on more personnel to process collections internally from taxpayers. As of October 2009, the IRS has ceased using private debt collection agencies. In September 2009, after undercover exposé videos of questionable activities by staff of one of the IRS 's volunteer tax - assistance organizations were made public, the IRS removed ACORN from its volunteer tax - assistance program. Administrative functions The IRS publishes tax forms which taxpayers are required to choose from and use for calculating and reporting their federal tax obligations. The IRS also publishes a number of forms for its own internal operations, such as Forms 3471 and 4228 ( which are used during the initial processing of income tax returns ). In addition to collection of revenue and pursuing tax cheaters, the IRS issues administrative rulings such as revenue rulings and private letter rulings. In addition, the Service publishes the Internal Revenue Bulletin containing the various IRS pronouncements. The controlling authority of regulations and revenue rulings allows taxpayers to rely on them. A private letter ruling is good for the taxpayer to whom it is issued, and gives some explanation of the Service 's position on a particular tax issue. Additionally, a private letter ruling reasonably relied upon by a taxpayer allows for the waiver of penalties for underpayment of tax. As is the case with all administrative pronouncements, taxpayers sometimes litigate the validity of the pronouncements, and courts sometimes determine a particular rule to be invalid where the agency has exceeded its grant of authority. The IRS also issues formal pronouncements called Revenue Procedures, that among other things tell taxpayers how to correct prior tax errors. The IRS 's own internal operations manual is the Internal Revenue Manual, which describes the clerical procedures for processing and auditing tax returns in excruciating detail. For example, the Internal Revenue Manual contains a special procedure for processing the tax returns of the President and Vice President of the United States. More formal rulemaking to give the Service 's interpretation of a statute, or when the statute itself directs that the Secretary of the Treasury shall provide, IRS undergoes the formal regulation process with a Notice of proposed rulemaking ( NPRM ) published in the Federal Register announcing the proposed regulation, the date of the in - person hearing, and the process for interested parties to have their views heard either in person at the hearing in Washington, D.C., or by mail. Following the statutory period provided in the Administrative Procedure Act the Service decides on the final regulations `` as is, '' or as reflecting changes, or sometimes withdraws the proposed regulations. Generally, taxpayers may rely on proposed regulations until final regulations become effective. For example, human resource professionals are relying on the October 4, 2005 Proposed Regulations ( citation 70 F.R. 57930 - 57984 ) for the Section 409A on deferred compensation ( the so - called Enron rules on deferred compensation to add teeth to the old rules ) because regulations have not been finalized. The IRS oversaw the Homebuyer Credit and First Time Homebuyer Credit programs instituted by the federal government from 2008 - 2010. Those programs provided United States citizens with money toward the purchase of homes, regardless of income tax filings. Controversies See also : Political profiling at the Internal Revenue Service Activists at IRS facility in Mountainside, New Jersey on May 21, 2013, protesting IRS targeting of partisan groups. The IRS has been accused of abusive behavior on multiple occasions. Testimony was given before a Senate subcommittee that focused on cases of overly aggressive IRS collection tactics in considering a need for legislation to give taxpayers greater protection in disputes with the agency. Congress passed the Taxpayer Bill of Rights III on July 22, 1998, which shifted the burden of proof from the taxpayer to the IRS in certain limited situations. The IRS retains the legal authority to enforce liens and seize assets without obtaining judgment in court. Michael Minns was the defense lawyer in a case against the IRS on behalf of James and Pamela Moran, after an initial indictment in what Minns asserts was an IRS smear campaign that virtually canvassed the taxpayers ' own hometown and surrounding area. The original indictment was associated with the Morans ' involvement with a tax shelter provider, Anderson 's Ark & Associates. The Morans were eventually acquitted in the case. Minns also had previously asserted that the behavior of two IRS attorneys at law, Kenneth McWade and William A. Sims, constituted legal misconduct and recommended them for disbarment. Following an investigation, the law licenses of the IRS attorneys were duly suspended for a two - year period after a federal court ruling found that the two had indeed defrauded the courts in connection with 1,300 tax shelter cases. In 2003, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit concluded that the IRS lawyers had corruptly agreed with certain taxpayers that no tax collection actions would be taken against them -- in return for testimony against other taxpayers. The court also asked why the IRS had not punished the two. In 2013, the IRS became embroiled in a political scandal in which it was discovered that the agency subjected conservative or conservative - sounding groups filing for tax - exempt status to extra scrutiny. On September 5, 2014, 16 months after the scandal first erupted, a Senate Subcommittee released a report that confirmed that Internal Revenue Service used inappropriate criteria to target Tea Party groups, but found no evidence of political bias. The chairman of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations confirmed that while the actions were `` inappropriate, intrusive, and burdensome, '' the Democrats have often experienced similar treatment. Republicans noted that 83 % of the groups being held up by the IRS were right - leaning ; and the Subcommittee Minority staff, which did not join the Majority staff report, filed a dissenting report entitled, `` IRS Targeting Tea Party Groups. '' On May 25, 2015, the agency announced that criminals had illegally accessed the private tax information of over 100,000 taxpayers over a period of several months. By providing Social Security Numbers and other information obtained from prior computer crimes, the criminals were able to use the IRS 's online `` Get Transcript '' function to have the IRS provide them with the tax returns and other private information of American tax filers. On August 17, 2015, IRS disclosed that the breach had compromised an additional 220,000 taxpayer records. On February 27, 2016, the IRS disclosed that more than 700,000 social security numbers and other sensitive information had been stolen. See also Government of the United States portal Tax evasion in the United States Notes Jump up ^ `` Office of Commissioner of Internal Revenue ( Created by an act of Congress, July 1, 1862 ) ''. US Internal Revenue Service. Archived from the original on October 31, 2011. Retrieved July 23, 2012. Jump up ^ Internal Revenue Service. `` The Agency, its Mission and Statutory Authority ''. IRS. Retrieved December 24, 2013. ^ Jump up to : `` Internal Revenue Service Data Book, 2015 '' ( PDF ). Jump up ^ IRS : Affordable Care Act Tax Provisions Jump up ^ `` The Agency, its Mission and Statutory Authority ''. Internal Revenue Service. 27 July 2016. Retrieved 11 October 2016. Jump up ^ `` 1861 - 1865 : The Civil War ''. Tax.org. Retrieved August 9, 2010. Jump up ^ 3 U.S. 171 ( 1796 ). Jump up ^ `` 1866 - 1900 : Reconstruction to the Spanish - American War ''. Tax.org. Retrieved August 9, 2010. Jump up ^ `` Notes on the Amendments - The U.S. Constitution Online ''. USConstitution.net. Retrieved August 9, 2010. Jump up ^ `` 1901 - 1932 : The Income Tax Arrives ''. Tax.org. April 14, 1906. Retrieved August 9, 2010. Jump up ^ `` The first 1040 with instructions '' ( PDF ). Retrieved November 8, 2011. Jump up ^ https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/historical-highlights-of-the-irs Historical highlights of the IRS retrieved 2017 Oct 6 Jump up ^ JoAnn A. Grote, The Internal Revenue Service, Infobase Publishing, 2001, ISBN 0791059898 page 43 Jump up ^ `` Investigations : Fraud in Nixon 's Taxes ''. Time. November 18, 1974. Retrieved May 5, 2010. Jump up ^ `` How an IRS leak changed history altered history - Page 3 - Baltimore Sun ''. Articles.baltimoresun.com. December 21, 2003. Retrieved August 9, 2010. Jump up ^ `` How an IRS leak changed historyaltered history - Baltimore Sun ''. Articles.baltimoresun.com. December 21, 2003. Retrieved August 9, 2010. Jump up ^ Tax History Project - Presidential Tax Returns. Taxhistory.org. Retrieved on August 10, 2013. ^ Jump up to : Paul Cenuzi, A History of Modern Computing, MIT Press, 2003 ISBN 0262532034 pp. 119 - 122 Jump up ^ `` Free File : Do Your Federal Taxes for Free ''. Irs.gov. January 29, 2013. Retrieved February 4, 2013. Jump up ^ `` As e-filing turns 20, IRS trying to win over remaining third of taxpayers from paper returns ''. cleveland.com. Retrieved August 9, 2010. Jump up ^ `` IRS refunded $4 billion to identity thieves last year, inspector general 's report says ''. CBS News. November 7, 2013. Retrieved November 10, 2013. ^ Jump up to : `` IRS chief warns of refund delays, poor customer service this tax year ''. Fox News. Jump up ^ Howell, Tom. `` Bipartisan doubts emerge on IRS ability to handle Obamacare ''. Retrieved September 11, 2014. Jump up ^ The Editorial Board ( January 17, 2015 ). `` The Dangerous Erosion of Taxation ''. The New York Times. Retrieved March 6, 2017. Jump up ^ Form 1040, Individual Income Tax Return for year 1918, as republished in historical documents section of Publication 1796 ( Rev. February 2007 ), Internal Revenue Service, U.S. Department of the Treasury. Form 1040s for years 1918, 1919, and 1920 bore the name `` Internal Revenue Service ''. For the 1921 tax year, the name was dropped, then was re-added for the 1929 tax year. Jump up ^ 1953 - 2 C.B. 657 ( August 21, 1953 ), filed with Division of the Federal Register on August 26, 1967, 18 Fed. Reg. 5120. Compare Treas. Department Order 150 - 29 ( July 9, 1953 ). Jump up ^ `` Official web site of the National Commission on Restructuring the Internal Revenue Service ''. House.gov. Retrieved November 8, 2011. Jump up ^ Pub. L. No. 105 - 206, 112 Stat. 685 ( July 22, 1998 ). Jump up ^ IR - 2010 - 88, August 4, 2010, `` IRS Realigns and Renames Large Business Division, Enhances Focus on International Tax Administration, '' Internal Revenue Service, at IRS.gov. Jump up ^ `` U.S. Department of the Treasury, Press Release '' ( PDF ) ( Press release ). September 26, 2006. Jump up ^ `` GAO - 11 - 308 Information Security : IRS Needs to Enhance Internal Control over Financial Reporting and Taxpayer Data '' ( PDF ). Retrieved November 8, 2011. Jump up ^ `` The Commissioner 's Section ''. IRS.gov. ^ Jump up to : President Obama Appoints Daniel Werfel as Acting Commissioner of Internal Revenue, May 16, 2013 Jump up ^ Zachary A. Goldfarb ; Aaron Blake ( May 16, 2013 ). `` Daniel Werfel replaces Miller as acting IRS commissioner ''. The Washington Post. Retrieved May 16, 2013. ^ Jump up to : `` IRS Commissioner Says He Does n't Want Second Term ''. Bloomberg. Jump up ^ `` IRS Tax Attorney Los Angeles ''. IRStaxreliefsettlement. Retrieved 2016 - 09 - 05. Jump up ^ `` Profile of Nina Olson ''. Brynmawr.edu. November 16, 2003. Retrieved July 28, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Link & Learn Taxes, linking volunteers to quality e-learning ''. Irs.gov. Retrieved December 22, 2012. Jump up ^ `` Tax Stats at a Glance ''. IRS.gov. Archived from the original on May 10, 2012. Retrieved June 4, 2012. Jump up ^ See Table, p. 115, Budget of the U.S. Government : Fiscal Year 2011, Office of Management and Budget, Executive Office of the President of the United States ( U.S. Gov 't Printing Office, Washington, 2010 ), at Whitehouse.gov ( PDF ) Jump up ^ ' SOI Tax Stats - Individual Income Tax Rates and Tax Shares '. Yearly statistics at www.irs.gov. Jump up ^ ' New IRS Data Reveals That the Rich Really Do Pay Tax - Lots of It ' by John Gaver. Press Release, Actionamerica.org, October 9, 2007. Jump up ^ IRS Commissioner Assailed on ' Tax Gap ' by Jack Speer. Morning Edition, National Public Radio, March 21, 2006. Jump up ^ USA today page 1B / 2B published April 12, 2012 `` complex tax code raises problems for taxpayers and IRS '' Jump up ^ `` IRS plan for private debt collection draws criticism ''. The San Diego Union - Tribune. Aug 23, 2006. Retrieved Apr 30, 2016. Jump up ^ `` IRS Conducts Extensive Review, Decides Not to Renew Private Debt Collection Contracts ''. Jump up ^ Wheaton, Sarah ( September 23, 2008 ). `` Acorn Sues Over Video as I.R.S. Severs Ties ''. The New York Times. Jump up ^ `` Internal Revenue Bulletin : 2012 - 23 ''. Internal Revenue Service. June 4, 2012. Retrieved June 7, 2012. ^ Jump up to : Internal Revenue Manual Section 3.28. 3. Jump up ^ A257.g.akamaitech.net Archived July 23, 2006, at the Wayback Machine. ( PDF ) Jump up ^ Federal Register ( Volume 70, Number 191 ) Archived August 19, 2006, at the Wayback Machine., October 4, 2005 Jump up ^ ( 1 ) Jump up ^ `` Prepared Statement Of Witness Before The Senate Finance Committee Oversight Hearing On The Internal Revenue Service ''. Archived from the original on July 29, 2007. Retrieved June 17, 2007. Jump up ^ Davis, Robert Edwin. `` Statement before the Senate Committee on Finance ''. Archived from the original on February 9, 2007. Retrieved June 17, 2007. Jump up ^ Schriebman, Robert. `` Prepared Statement of Robert S. Schrieman Before the Senate Finance Committee ''. Archived from the original on October 18, 2007. Retrieved June 17, 2007. Jump up ^ Davis, Shelley L. ( September 23, 1997 ). `` Prepared Statement of Shelley L. Davis Before the Senate Finance Committee Oversight Hearing On The Internal Revenue Service ''. Archived from the original on May 5, 2007. Retrieved June 17, 2007. Jump up ^ See 26 U.S.C. § 6331. For case law on section 6331, see Brian v. Gugin, 853 F. Supp. 358, 94 - 1 U.S. Tax Cas. ( CCH ) paragr. 50,278 ( D. Idaho 1994 ), aff 'd, 95 - 1 U.S. Tax Cas. ( CCH ) paragr. 50,067 ( 9th Cir. 1995 ). Jump up ^ Katharhynn Heidelberg, `` Attorney : IRS should apologize '', Montrose Daily Press ( Montrose, Colorado ), December 28, 2007, at Montrose Daily Press Jump up ^ Katharhynn Heidelberg, `` Morans Acquitted on All Counts '', Montrose Daily Press ( Montrose, Colorado ), December 21, 2007, at Montrose Daily Press Jump up ^ David Cay Johnston, August 21, 2004, `` 2 Ex-IRS Lawyers ' Licenses Suspended for Misconduct '', The New York Times, at The New York Times Jump up ^ `` IRS officials in Washington were involved in targeting of conservative groups ''. The Washington Post. Retrieved May 15, 2013. Jump up ^ Korte, Gregory. `` Senate subcommittee : No political bias in IRS targeting ''. Retrieved September 10, 2014. Jump up ^ The Permanent Subcommittee On Investigations. `` RS and TIGTA Management Failures Related to 501 ( c ) ( 4 ) Applicants Engaged in Campaign Activity ''. Retrieved September 10, 2014. Jump up ^ The Subcommittee Minority. `` IRS Targeting Tea Party Groups '' ( PDF ). Retrieved September 10, 2014. Jump up ^ Steinberg, Joseph. `` IRS Leaked Over 100,000 Taxpayers ' Private Info To Criminals : What You Need ''. Forbes. New York, NY. Retrieved May 27, 2015. Jump up ^ Weise, Elizabeth ( August 17, 2015 ). `` IRS hack far larger than first thought ''. USA Today. Retrieved August 17, 2015. Jump up ^ CBS News ( April 18, 2016 ). `` Massive IRS data breach much bigger than first thought ''. CBS News Interactive. Retrieved April 18, 2016. Further reading Davis, Shelley L. ; Matalin, Mary ( 1997 ). Unbridled Power : Inside the Secret Culture of the IRS. New York : Harper Collins. ISBN 0 - 88730 - 829 - 5. Johnston, David Cay ( 2003 ). Perfectly Legal : The Covert Campaign to Rig Our Tax System to Benefit the Super Rich -- and Cheat Everybody Else. New York : Portfolio. ISBN 1 - 59184 - 019 - 8. Rossotti, Charles O. ( 2005 ). Many Unhappy Returns : One Man 's Quest To Turn Around The Most Unpopular Organization In America. Cambridge : Harvard Business School Press. ISBN 1 - 59139 - 441 - 4. Roth, William V., Jr. ; Nixon, William H. ( 1999 ). The Power to Destroy. New York : Atlantic Monthly Press. ISBN 0 - 87113 - 748 - 8. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to United States Internal Revenue Service. Official website Internal Revenue Service in the Federal Register Agencies under the United States Department of the Treasury Headquarters : Treasury Building Steven Mnuchin, Secretary of the Treasury Vacant, Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau Community Development Financial Institutions Fund Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration Office of the Comptroller of the Currency Office of Tax Policy Under Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs Office of East Asia Office of South and Southeast Asia Nations Office of Europe & Eurasia Office of the Western Hemisphere Office of International Monetary Policy Office of Banking and Securities Office of International Debt Policy Office of Development Policy Office of Financing Operations Office of African Nations Office of the Middle East and North Africa Office of International Trade Office of International Investment Office of Trade Finance Office of Technical Assistance Office of Risk and Research Analysis Exchange Stabilization Fund Under Secretary of the Treasury for Domestic Finance Advanced Counterfeit Deterrence Federal Financing Bank Office of Debt Management Office of Financial Institutions Office of Financial Markets Office of Financial Stability Office of Fiscal Service Bureau of the Fiscal Service Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Office of Terrorist Financing and Financial Crimes Office of Intelligence and Analysis Office of Foreign Assets Control Financial Crimes Enforcement Network Treasury Executive Office for Asset Forfeiture Treasurer of the United States Bureau of Engraving and Printing United States Mint VIAF : 123679859 LCCN : n79063888 ISNI : 0000 0001 2150 4193 GND : 19540 - 6 SUDOC : 095139273 BNF : cb12008079n ( data ) NLA : 35568456 NDL : 01093597 NKC : ko2003203498 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Internal_Revenue_Service&oldid=807061963 '' Categories : Internal Revenue Service Government agencies established in 1953 Revenue services Financial regulatory authorities of the United States Tax investigation Taxation in the United States 1862 establishments in the United States Tax terms Hidden categories : Webarchive template wayback links All articles with dead external links Articles with dead external links from April 2017 Articles with permanently dead external links Use mdy dates from April 2016 Pages using infobox government agency with unknown parameters Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Wikipedia articles with ISNI identifiers Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Wikipedia articles with BNF identifiers Wikipedia articles with NLA identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Català Deutsch Español Esperanto Français 한국어 Bahasa Indonesia עברית Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Polski Português Русский Simple English Српски / srpski Suomi Svenska Türkçe Українська 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 25 October 2017, at 17 : 18. 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Question: who has the power to collect taxes from citizens
Answer: Internal Revenue Service (IRS)