Sullivan helps launch effort to protect personal tax data

Rhode Island Acting Director of Revenue David M. Sullivan joined federal and state officials and tax industry representatives today to help announce a new joint campaign aimed at encouraging more people to protect their personal and financial data online and at home.

The “Taxes. Security. Together.” campaign is designed to raise public awareness that even routine actions on the Internet and on personal communications devices can affect the safety of one's financial and tax data.

The education campaign will complement the expanded series of protections that the IRS, the states, and the tax industry are putting in place for the start of the 2016 filing season to address tax-related identity theft.

"The governments and industry are taking new steps to protect taxpayers," said Sullivan, who is also Rhode Island Tax Administrator and the immediate past president of the Federation of Tax Administrators (FTA). "To build on this even further, we are joining forces to share important information across our websites -- whether it's at the state level, in the tax industry, or at the IRS. This is an unprecedented collaborative effort for tax administration," Sullivan said.

“Identity thieves are evolving, and so must we. Everyone has a part to play,” said IRS Commissioner John Koskinen. "The IRS, the states and the tax industry are putting in place even tougher safeguards for 2016. But, we need the public’s help. We need people to join with us and take an active role in protecting their personal and financial data from thieves.”

The campaign, which will continue through the April tax deadline, was announced today at an event in Washington, D.C.,  hosted by the FTA. The effort is part of the Security Summit, a collaborative effort started in March between the states, the IRS, and the tax industry. The joint consumer campaign features several components, including a YouTube video (see screenshot below). Click here for more information about the campaign.

Rhode Island's Acting Revenue Director David M. Sullivan (second from right)