With the IRS taking a wide range of steps to advance its technological capabilities, IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel told lawmakers today that the agency’s focus on data security remains a key priority moving forward.
Werfel talked about data security and other IRS tech priorities today at House Ways and Means Committee hearing.
“Data security … is fundamental to what we do in ensuring the public trust,” Werfel said. “When I got to the IRS, one of the first things I did in March of 2023 was pull the team together and ask what is the state of our data security environment.”
“We have spent the last year working diligently to close those gaps and there is a long laundry list of steps we have taken to completely and dramatically change our environment,” added Werfel.
The IRS commissioner also talked about the importance of funding continued improvements on the agency’s technology cybersecurity to-do lists.
“Before the Inflation Reduction Act, we didn’t have the resources to put in the work to close these gaps,” Werfel said. That bill authorized $78 billion in supplemental funding for the IRS through 2031 to improve taxpayer services including through tech upgrades.
“That’s why it is so important that the IRS be funded adequately for its operations – not just so that we can answer the phone when people call us, not so that we can keep pace with complex returns – but we need to invest in our infrastructure and invest in our data security [as well],” said Werfel.
The hearing follows a Treasury Inspector General For Tax Administration (TIGTA) report that found IRS’s antiquated systems that are still in use could potentially create cybersecurity issues.
“Weaknesses within the IRS’s computer operations could begin to adversely affect its ability to meet its mission of helping taxpayers comply with their tax responsibilities and enforcing the tax laws with integrity and fairness to all,” the report says.
