The Subcommittee on Oversight of the House Ways & Means Committee holds a hearing today on Internal Revenue Service Operations and the 2012 Tax Return Filing Season:

In fiscal year 2011, the IRS collected $2.4 trillion in taxes, processed 144.7 million individual tax returns, and issued $345 billion in refunds.  With the 2012 tax return filing season underway, the Subcommittee will review IRS performance with a focus on taxpayer service, taxpayer rights, and refund administration. 

In conjunction with the review of the current tax return filing season, the Subcommittee will review IRS operations in general.  Specifically, the Subcommittee will consider: (1) the recently reported delays in tax refunds; (2) fairness in examinations and tax administration; and (3) efforts to prevent fraud, waste, and abuse.  As part of its consideration of IRS operations, the Subcommittee will also review the Administration’s fiscal year 2013 budget proposal for the IRS of $16.1 billion, an increase of $1.3 billion over the fiscal year 2012 enacted level.

Witness:  IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman