The IRS… a helpful agency?

Even those of us who feel like we’ve got it together when it comes to our bookkeeping can still feel intimidated by the faceless (and perhaps heartless?), bureaucratic IRS. Sure, taxes make the wheels on the bus go round and round but the form-filing and obfuscation and stomach-churning audits can make us think about moving to tax-free places, like the moon.

But the IRS is changing. And although they are still collecting taxes and auditing people (which is less cool), they are working towards actually being helpful (which is more cool). Their website still looks a little stodgy and web 1.0 but it now contains tools, resources, and information for far more than understanding your income tax forms. Now, they are providing tools like retirement planning or workshops for small businesses or calendars for tax deductions. You can read more about the list of ways that the IRS is becoming more relevant to taxpayers at AllBusiness.com.

What caught my eye was the IRS channel on YouTube. Right away I thought: “Oh! I could watch this when I want to fall asleep!” but it’s actually pretty helpful. There is information on upcoming events, there are helpful tips and ideas, and it’s actually pretty engaging!

I realize that these fun, engaging videos are still telling you how to pay taxes, but I appreciate that the government is stepping into the 21st century with some fresh and helpful guidance to navigate their otherwise unwieldy processes.

So grab some popcorn and your spouse and cuddle up with a blanket for an evening of IRS videos! (Okay, maybe not).

Jessica Routier, IAC-EZ