Regulations are promulgated by publishing in the Federal Register, and usually are published in the weekly Internal Revenue Bulletin. All persons concerned are, by reason of publication in the Federal Register, given notice of the official rules of the Department of the Treasury for the administration, application, and enforcement of the Internal Revenue laws. Regulations may be proposed, temporary, or final. Temporary or final regulations carry the approval of the Treasury Dept. and are issued as Treasury Decisions. Temporary regs may be combined with final regs in the same Treasury Decision, but they may not be combined in the same Regulations Section.
Final regulations carry the force and effect of law.
Proposed regulations are the Service's position. Although the Bulletin is the authoritative instrument of the Commissioner for publishing revenue rulings, revenue procedures, notices, and announcements of the Service and for making announcements of general interest, under special circumstances, it is frequently necessary to release such information directly to the news media. The issuance of a news release is, however, supplemental to, and not in lieu of, publication in the Bulletin. News releases are nontechnical documents targeted at the nonpractitioner taxpayer public. A news release is appropriate if the matter is likely to be covered in a major newspaper.