The IRS Targets Thirteen Issues In Its New Compliance Campaigns

On Tuesday, January 31, the IRS announced the rollout of thirteen initial compliance campaigns that will be undertaken by its Large Business and International Division (“LB&I”). These campaigns are part of a broader IRS effort to reorganize and reorient LB&I to focus on high-risk issues in order to more efficiently address non-compliance in an era of smaller IRS budgets and greater IRS responsibilities. The first phase in this effort included dividing LB&I into nine new practice areas, including four geographic areas and five issue-based groups in the fall of 2015. The IRS stressed that the next phase, which includes the thirteen initial compliance campaigns, will not only involve audits, but also efforts to increase voluntary compliance, including the issuance of new guidance, forms, instructions, and training materials, as well as outreach to taxpayers with particular issues on their returns.