Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Three new Administrative Decisions

The Division of Taxation has posted three decisions that were issued after recent administrative hearings:

Administrative Decision 2015-18 focuses on a cigarette dealer's license revocation.
Administrative Decision 2015-19 looks at whether a refund claim was filed on time.
Administrative Decision 2015-20 also looks at whether a refund claim was filed on time.

Friday, June 12, 2015

Estimated payments; combined reporting; sales permits

The Division of Taxation today issued an Advisory that includes information on:

  • Estimated payments that are due Monday;
  • Combined reporting and estimated payments;
  • Sales tax permits and booklets; and
  • Insurance-related tax payments.

Click here to view a copy.

Thursday, June 11, 2015

Tax Administrator helps launch effort to fight refund fraud

Rhode Island Tax Administrator David M. Sullivan today joined with Internal Revenue Service Commissioner John Koskinen and tax industry representatives to announce a sweeping new collaborative effort to combat identity theft refund fraud and protect taxpayers.

The agreement includes identifying new steps to validate taxpayer and tax return information at the time of filing. The effort will increase information sharing between industry and governments. There will be standardized sharing of suspected identity fraud information and analytics from the tax industry to identify fraud schemes and locate indicators of fraud patterns.

Sullivan, in his role as president of the Federation of Tax Administrators (FTA), represented the states at the meeting, which was held in Washington, D.C. "States share the IRS’s concerns – and the industry’s concerns – about fighting refund fraud and ID theft fraud," he said. "It is a top priority for states. And I’m pleased to note that, under this agreement, a number of refund fraud detection and prevention solutions will be ready to for the starting of the coming filing season," Sullivan said. "We feel strongly that this plan is going to help everyone in the 2016 filing season -- including states, the IRS, the industry, and taxpayers," he said.

IRS Commissioner Koskinen said in a statement, "This agreement represents a new era of cooperation and collaboration among the IRS, states and the electronic tax industry that will help combat identity theft and protect taxpayers against tax refund fraud." He added, "We've made tremendous progress, and we will continue these efforts. Taxpayers filing their tax returns next filing season should have a safer and more secure experience."

The agreement announced today at the summit at IRS headquarters was the result of a months-long effort by the states, the IRS, the tax preparation software industry, and others, working behind the scenes, Sullivan said. "Rest assured that this public-private partnership will continue working long after today’s meeting is over to help ensure that we better protect our taxpayers from identity theft tax refund fraud," he said.

"My thanks to IRS Commissioner Koskinen for his leadership in this process of developing a comprehensive plan that will benefit all stakeholders," Sullivan said.

Also attending today's summit were providers of tax preparation software, tax preparation firms, payroll and tax financial product processors. The FTA, which sponsored Sullivan's trip to the meeting, is an association which serves the principal tax collection agencies of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Philadelphia, and New York City. The FTA also represents the interests of state tax administrators before federal policymakers. 

Tax Administrator David M. Sullivan at today's security summit.
See also:

Monday, June 8, 2015

Attorney General posts tips for taxpayers after IRS breach

Rhode Island Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin has posted tips for taxpayers in the aftermath of a data breach involving the Internal Revenue Service.

He said the incident, which involves federal tax information, serves as a reminder for all Rhode Islanders to be vigilant in monitoring their credit reports and accounts. He also offered information to consumers who may have been affected by the breach.

Friday, June 5, 2015

Decisions issued on domicile, refund, amended return

The Division of Taxation today posted three decisions that were issued after recent administrative hearings.