Prosecutions of abusive tax preparers fell sharply in Fiscal 2021 from Fiscal 2020, according to a recently released report from the Internal Revenue Service. The IRS Criminal Investigation annual report for 2021 show prosecution recommendations for to 90 last year, off 38 percent from 2020.
The number dropped to 90 from 145 for fiscal 2020. That number a decline from 203 recommendation prosecutions for 2019. That means the total has fallen by 125.6 percent over two years.
There was no discussion of factors in the changes in specific statistics in the report
The number of indictments fell 14 percent to 110 for FY 2021 from 128 the prior year and 138 for FY 2019. Sentencings remained level year-to-year at 111 in the most recently ended year and 112 for Fiscal 2020 and down from 154 the prior year.
Overall, criminal investigations were relatively unchanged. There were 2,591 in Fiscal 2021, compared to 2,596 the prior year. Those totals were up from 2,485 in Fiscal 2019.
The number of indictments rebounded sharply in 2021 to 1,856, an increase of 22.8 percent from 1,512 for fiscal 2020. That was down from 1,800 in 2019. The number of sentencings rose slightly to 1,268, up 3.4 percent from 1,226. That compared to 1,726 in 2019.
Bob Scott has provided information to the tax and accounting community since 1991, first as technology editor of Accounting Today, and from 1997 through 2009 as editor of its sister publication, Accounting Technology. He is known throughout the industry for his depth of knowledge and for his high journalistic standards. Scott has made frequent appearances as a speaker, moderator and panelist and events serving tax and accounting professionals. He has a strong background in computer journalism as an editor with two former trade publications, Computer+Software News and MIS Week and spent several years with weekly and daily newspapers in Morris County New Jersey prior to that. A graduate of Indiana University with a degree in journalism, Bob is a native of Madison, Ind