One in five dollars paid out under the Earned Income Tax Credit — one of the nation’s largest anti-poverty programs — went to people who didn’t deserve them, according to a stinging report.
IRS Inspector General J. Russell George said investigators found taxpayers who didn’t qualify for the credits received more than $110 billion over the last decade.
“The IRS should be commended for implementing numerous processes to educate Americans and identify and prevent improper EITC payments,” George said in a statement.
“Unfortunately, it is still distributing more than $11 billion in improper EITC payments each year and that is disturbing.”
IRS efforts are hampered by unscrupulous tax preparers as well as honest families that have trouble figuring out how to calculate the credit, George said.
The agency said it is concentrating on rooting out cheats and mistakes.
“Every year, the IRS conducts 500,000 EITC audits as part of a broader enforcement strategy, and EITC claims are twice as likely to be audited as other tax returns,” the agency said.
It claimed to have prevented “nearly $4 billion in improper claims each year” and said it is “committed to continuing to work to reduce improper claims.”
In 2011, more than 27 million families received nearly $62 billion in credits.
The credit is attractive because, if it is larger than a filer’s income tax bill, the IRS will pay the difference.