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The Whys of Taxes

Theme 1: Your Role as a TaxpayerLesson 4: The Taxpayer's Rights

 

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Taxpayers have a definite responsibility to file an accurate and timely tax return, but they also have certain rights. The fundamental right is that of confidentiality. All taxpayers have the right to privacy of their tax information. Only authorized tax personnel can examine, or audit, a tax return. Even law enforcement agencies have no right to examine a suspect's tax returns. In addition, taxpayers have the right to appeal any IRS-proposed adjustments to a tax return. The taxpayer can contest the IRS determination of tax liability in a court or by asking the IRS Appeals Office to review the case.

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Did You Know?
Over 118 million individual income tax returns that the IRS examined in 2013 resulted in refunds to taxpayers.

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