--- In vpFREE@yahoogroups.com, "nightoftheiguana2000"
<nightoftheiguana2000@...> wrote:
Ummmm, yeah, I'm suggesting that, but I will decline to add details.
You're not suggesting that the IRS only knows about W2G and 1099 and
CTR's and other paper reportable wins?
Basically, the IRS has already done your taxes for you, whether or not
you get audited depends on the differences between their numbers and
the ones you submit ... and other factors.
You can ask the IRS for a statement showing what has been reported for
you. If you have multiple W-2s or 1099s you'll probably find it
reasonably accurate, but it may be missing some things. If you think
you lost a 1099 or aren't sure what a casino might have reported, just
ask.
The IRS doesn't do your taxes in advance -- think for a minute about
the logistics of that. Haven't you read about their personnel shortage
and multiple failed computer system upgrade attempts? They can barely
keep up with their actual workload without imagining that they are
somehow doing a vastly larger and more complicated job in secret.
If you don't file or send in something that obviously understates your
income they don't bother trying to figure your finances out. They
simply make a guess way on the optimistic side (for them) and then
assess you on that. It's then up to you to either pay those taxes or
file a return showing that you didn't make that much. I've had them
assess me and it's clear the only research they did was to multiply
one big number by another big number, totally made up.
If you get on their audit or criminal radar they can dig things up
from banks and casinos and employers, all of whom are required to keep
records. But that's costly and time-consuming and it doesn't work like
on TV, where a big beeping computer screen pops up showing your face
and all of your bank transactions and your email and chat logs and
recordings of your voicemail. Just look at how lame every other
government agency's systems are and imagine that on a very large scale.