ADOR Partnering with IRS, Tax
Industry to Better Protect Taxpayers
MONTGOMERY,
Aug. 27, 2015 — The Alabama Department of Revenue is continually working to
protect the identities of Alabama taxpayers and prevent tax refund fraud. The
department took yet another step toward enhancing the security of the tax
return process on Wednesday when Revenue Commissioner Julie P. Magee signed a
Memorandum of Understanding with the Internal Revenue Service, other state
revenue departments, and companies and trade associations in the tax and
financial services industries.
“We are working
with the IRS and the tax industry to establish stronger security measures,
particularly in e-filing, including validation of identity and return
information at the time of filing,” Magee said. “These security measures,
combined with our established efforts to protect taxpayers here in Alabama
through the ID Quiz and a second authentication protocol on My Alabama Taxes
(MAT), will provide taxpayers with a safer and more secure filing experience.”
The
public-private partnership formed through the MOU stems from a security summit
convened by the IRS in March, where tax administrators and industry leaders met
to discuss emerging threats and expand existing collaborative efforts to stop
fraud. IRS Commissioner John Koskinen hailed “a new era of cooperation and
collaboration… that will help combat identity theft and protect taxpayers
against tax refund fraud" when the IRS announced the new partnership in
June.
The enhanced
communication and information sharing agreed to at the summit and in the MOU
will better protect taxpayers in a number of ways, including:
•
Unmasking criminal schemes and reducing identity theft
tax refund fraud;
•
Improving methods of verifying taxpayers’ identities;
•
Better analyzing return transmission information (such
as numerous returns being transmitted from the same IP address) and return
preparation times;
•
Identifying standard technology practices and
innovation for uncovering emerging threats; and
•
Educating taxpayers on their roles in protecting
sensitive personal, tax and financial data.
The MOU has
been endorsed by the Federation of Tax Administrators, the Council for
Electronic Revenue Communication Advancement, the American Coalition for
Taxpayer Rights, Free File Inc., and the National Association of Computerized
Tax Processors.
-30-
__________________________________________
Media contact for more information:
ADOR Communications/Publications
Section
Frank.miles@revenue.alabama.gov
Carolyn.blackstock@revenue.alabama.gov
Amanda.collier@revenue.alabama.gov
Telephone: 334-242-1390; FAX:
334-242-0550
Website address: http://revenue.alabama.gov