The IRS’ Mission is to “provide America’s taxpayers top-quality service by helping them understand and meet their tax responsibilities and enforce the law with integrity and fairness to all.”
Revenue agents are one part of the larger team that accomplishes this mission. They make it easier for taxpayers to pay the correct amount of taxes they owe, so the government has the funding it needs to provide the services we rely on.
Improving the Taxpayer Experience
Paying taxes is a public duty, but it shouldn’t be a difficult one. The agency is using new funding and technological advances to improve services and add new ones. These include:
- Direct File, the new free tax tool to file your federal taxes online.
- Redesigned mobile forms to access services from phones and tablets.
- Taxpayer Assistance Centers, for in-person help around the country.
- Free tax return preparation for qualifying taxpayers.
Why We Pay Taxes: Essential Government Services
Collecting taxes is crucial for funding countless public services, and although the IRS doesn’t administer these programs, as a revenue agent your work is one of the first steps in ensuring they’re available. Here are some of the important services taxpayer dollars fund:
- Health: The Department of Health and Human Services has offices focused on disease prevention, rural health access, substance abuse, research on cures for diseases and more.
- Environment: The Environmental Protection Agency monitors and enforces the quality of our air and water, while the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration does research on our environment to develop better forecasts.
- Disaster relief: Even when disasters can be predicted, they can’t always be prevented. When they happen in the U.S., the Federal Emergency Management Agency helps the public get back on its feet. And the U.S. Agency for International Development extends a helping hand when disasters happen abroad.
- Defense, national security and veterans affairs: Civilian and military professionals across six uniformed services and 18 intelligence agencies rely on taxes to perform their national security functions, as does the agency that administers benefits and health care for veterans.
For more information on why we pay taxes, watch:
For a detailed look at how two federal agencies funded by tax dollars serve the public, watch: