Securing taxpayer data and its online resources will be the top challenge for the IRS in 2020, according to a new report.
In a memorandum (PDF) to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) recently addressed the top 10 most serious challenges for the IRA in the upcoming year.
TIGTA explained that, to serve the public in this age of online technology, the IRS has developed public-facing website applications that interact with taxpayers for a variety of purposes. Because these applications collect personal information from taxpayers, they are potential targets of criminals and identity thieves.
TIGTA assured the treasury secretary that the agency continues to work with the IRS in identifying, investigating and combating threats to the IRS’s cybersecurity and application infrastructure.
Other challenges listed in the memorandum include implementing tax law changes, addressing emerging threats to tax administration and supporting an improved taxpayer experience.