Ayotte Repeats Call to Hold IRS Accountable for NH Taxpayers

Press Release

In response to a recent report from the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) that found the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) again failed to promptly notify and assist victims of identity theft, U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte sent a letter to IRS Commissioner John Koskinen asking for answers.

"TIGTA found that 620,931 taxpayers, who were not identified by the IRS as victims of the breach, as potential victims of the Get Transcript application data breach. Further analysis showed that potentially unauthorized users were successful in obtaining access to 355,262 of those taxpayers' accounts. TIGTA also identified an additional 2,470 taxpayer accounts that were targeted through the breach, but were erroneously excluded from IRS notification," wrote Ayotte

She continued, "In addition, TIGTA noted that the IRS did not offer Identity Protection Personal Identification Numbers (IP PINs) or free credit monitoring to 79,122 taxpayers whose tax accounts were identified by the IRS as being involved in an attempted access... Given that the IRS provides IP PINs to taxpayers who live in high-risk locations for identity theft or taxpayers who report a lost or stolen wallet or purse, it would be consistent with IRS policy to offer these potential victims IP PINs."

Senator Ayotte has consistently led the charge to hold the IRS accountable in response to instances of identity theft experienced by New Hampshire residents. She has pushed the IRS to improve its policies and better help identity theft victims protect themselves and their personal information, and was instrumental in securing a commitment from Commissioner John Koskinen to provide tax-related identity theft victims with copies of fraudulent tax returns. In August 2015, Senator Ayotte brought IRS Commissioner John Koskinen to New Hampshire, where she held a Budget Committee field hearing on the IRS' handling of fraudulent tax returns. During the hearing, Commissioner Koskinen heard directly from New Hampshire residents who have been victims of tax-related identity theft or have had other tax-related issues. The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) and TIGTA have both examined how the IRS deals with fraudulent returns and found billions in revenue lost due to lack of detection.

Ayotte also helped introduce the Social Security Identity Defense Act of 2015, which would require the Internal Revenue Service to notify potential victims of identity theft, something the agency has failed to do in the past. It also requires that the IRS notify law enforcement and that the Social Security Administration notify employers who submit fraudulently used Social Security numbers. The bill adds civil penalties and extends jail time for those who fraudulently use an individual's Social Security number.

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