IRS Compliance Initiatives

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) request for additional budget authority for its fiscal year (FY) 1995 compliance initiatives, focusing on its effect on budget deficits over the next 5 years. GAO noted that: (1) the additional budget authority will not increase the budget deficit over the next 5 years if the funds are used to increase IRS enforcement staffing levels, maintain the increased staffing levels, and train new staff; (2) a larger enforcement staff will increase revenues, but a deficit could occur in the first year until the new staff becomes productive; (3) IRS did not deliver on past compliance initiatives because of funding shortfalls that caused it to divert funds to other activities; (4) IRS faces another funding shortfall in FY 1995 because of budget cuts and its inability to estimate its costs accurately; and (5) IRS revised its methodology for estimating the additional revenues generated from its compliance initiatives in response to GAO criticism.