Money Issues Links

"The effort, building off work following last August's IRA funding, will center on adding more attention on wealthy, partnerships and other high earners that have seen sharp drops in audit rates for these taxpayer segments during the past decade. The changes will be driven with the help of improved technology as well as Artificial Intelligence that will help IRS compliance teams better detect tax cheating, identify emerging compliance threats and improve case selection tools to avoid burdening taxpayers with needless "no-change" audits." more »

"... the economy and the labor market have remained strong as the FOMC has tightened monetary policy. Real gross domestic product grew slightly more than 2 percent at an annual rate in the first half of the year, well above many forecasters' expectations. Consumer spending has been robust, and the housing sector appears to be rebounding with accelerating growth in house prices and a pickup in new housing starts. The most recent employment report showed a strong labor market with low unemployment and solid job gains. The pace of job gains has slowed, which is a sign that labor market demand and supply are coming into better balance. But the demand for workers continues to exceed the supply of available job seekers, adding upward pressure on prices." more »

IR-2023-123, July 3, 2023 WASHINGTON ― The Internal Revenue Service warned taxpayers today to be on the lookout for a new scam mailing that tries to mislead people into believing they are owed a refund. The new scheme involves a mailing coming in a cardboard envelope from a delivery service. The enclosed letter includes the IRS masthead and wording that the notice is“in relation to your unclaimed refund.” Like many scams, the letter includes contact information and a phone number that do not belong to the IRS. But it also seeks a variety of sensitive personal information from taxpayers – including detailed pictures of driver’s licenses – that can be used to by identity thieves to try obtaining a tax refund and other sensitive financial information. 8:09 AM (1 hour ago)     Reply to me       IRS Newswire July 03, 2023 News Essentials… more »

What taxpayers need to know: Taxpayers can claim the Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit and the Residential Clean Energy Credit for the year the qualifying expenditures are made. Homeowners who improve their primary residence will find the most opportunities to claim a credit for qualifying expenses. Renters may also be able to claim credits, as well as owners of second homes used as residences. Landlords cannot claim this credit. IRS encourages taxpayers to review all requirements and qualifications at IRS.gov/HomeEnergy for energy efficient equipment prior to purchasing. Additional information is also available on energy.gov, which compares the credit amounts for tax year 2022 and tax year 2023. When it is time to file a tax return, taxpayers can use Form 5695, Residential Energy Credits, to claim the credit. more »