Terry Lemons, Internal Revenue Service
The IRS and Plain Writing – Challenges and Accomplishments for a Taxing Situation
Introduction
Terry Lemons, Director, Office of Communications, IRS
Co-chair of IRS Plain Writing Editorial Board
Challenges
Complex subject matter Large, varied audience
– General public – potentially 141.1 million– Tax/legal professionals – potentially 1.9 million
Large agency– Decentralized content writing, review
Multi-pronged implementation
Established Plain Writing editorial board Trained all employees Established Plain Language@IRS on
IRS.gov for ongoing updates and feedback Redesigned more than 120 notices
From this
To this
Our redesigned notices explain: –Why the notice was sent –How the taxpayer should respond –What the consequence is if the taxpayer does not respond–Where to find additional resources, publications, and services
Benefits of improvements
Improved business results:Increase compliance Reduction in the tax gapEarlier resolution of cases when taxpayers are more responsivePossible reductions in call volumes as information is communicated through notices or online
Improved customer results:Increased satisfaction, driven by
– Earlier resolution of their case– Reduced penalties and interest (inferred if cases are resolved earlier)– Decreased confusion
Taxpayer focus groups
Res
trai
nin
g F
orc
esD
rivi
ng
Fo
rces
Threatening Tone
Unclear Language
Don’t Have $
Now
Uncertain Eligibility for
Installment Plan Immune to Consequences
Can’t Respond
Electronically
Better Communication
of Payment Options
Online Payment
Portal
Online Setup of
Installment Agreement
Collaborative Tone
Easy-to-Find Online
Information
Encourage Contact with
IRS
To this
Redesigned notices point taxpayers to web page with:
–Plain language information about the notice they received
–Answers to common questions
–Links to related resources
–Tips to offer ideas to help taxpayers succeed in coming years
Building on our success
Redesigned “balance due” notices: • Compared to accounts using previous versions of
balance due notices, more taxpayers are: Paying their tax liability Contacting IRS to discuss payment options Setting up installment payments
Written for IRS, not the reader
CP 504 before:
–Important information not clearly highlighted –Confusing, unfamiliar terms: levy, lien, assets –Somewhat threatening tone as this was the last notice prior to collection action
Addressing the reader’s needs
Redesigned CP 504 notice:
–Builds on same plain language features as previous redesigned notices
–Uses familiar words
–Alerts taxpayers to other important issues this tax liability could affect if unresolved
Where we go from here
Additional notice redesign• planning to release 9 additional redesigned
notices in October 2012; 61 additional in January 2013
Continued review of new and substantially revised documents
Redesigned IRS.gov website Continued training for employees
Questions?
Terry Lemons, terry.l.lemons (at) irs[dot]gov Plain Language @ IRS on IRS.gov