Internal Revenue Service

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the part of the Federal government of the United States responsible for collecting taxes and enforcing tax laws.^[1] The IRS decides how much tax is owed and collects the revenue on a regular basis.^[2] The IRS is the largest bureau in the United States Department of the Treasury. It is one of the world's most efficient tax collection agencies.^[2] The IRS processed over 224 million tax forms and collected over $2 trillion in revenue in 2004.^[2]

The IRS collects taxes in advance by withholding them through employers. Individuals who overpay through tax withholding are issued refunds after they file their income tax return. In 2006 the Seattle Times reported that up to 11.6 million refunds were not paid back because the IRS suspected fraud. According to the Seattle Times the affected taxpayers were not informed of the reason for not getting their refund. Many or most of the people who were not issued refunds were low-income individuals^[3]

1. ↑ "Internal Revenue Service - IRS". Investopedia, LLC. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2} "Internal Revenue Service (IRS)". AllGov.com. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
3. ↑ https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/irs-held-upst-refunds-of-120000/^{[permanent dead link]}