This was back in late March, but for some reason, I missed it. I’m completely appalled by this.
The IRS is quietly moving to loosen the once-inviolable privacy of federal income-tax returns. If it succeeds, accountants and other tax-return preparer will be able to sell information from individual returns – or even entire returns – to marketers and data brokers.
Link here.
Now, the preparer will supposedly have to get permission from the individual before sharing their data. But imagine some person walking into H&R Block and getting a tax return done, and along with a huge pile of things to sign, there’s a notice that their information may be sold to third party marketers. While my trusty blog readers would balk, not all people read the fine print.
I guess my earlier voiced thoughts on perhaps moving to an anonymous tax system may need to be revisited. In an electronic world, your personal information is increasingly at risk.
Alex Eckelberry