Christopher Rizek Comments in The National Taxpayer Advocate, IRS In-House Critic Paid to Tell Tax Collecting Agency of Flaws

Excerpt taken from article.

Nina Olson, a lawyer and former tax preparer, has run the office since March 2001 and has become one of the toughest critics of the agency's treatment of taxpayers. In an interview in her office at IRS headquarters in Washington, Olson said the agency "really sort of hunkers down and types people and just doesn't listen."

"It's understandable if you're in the enforcement side of the IRS and what you see are problems with enforcement, you tend to think that a lot of taxpayers are pulling a fast one," she said. "To me, the vast majority of noncompliance is non-purposeful."

"The announcement on the innocent spouse rule is a perfect example of the kinds of issues she's good at elevating that get the attention of people outside and inside the IRS to force the IRS to rethink their position," said Christopher Rizek, an attorney at Caplin & Drysdale in Washington. Read more on In-house critic gets paid to point out IRS shortcomings.