March 29, 2012 3:44 pm

Combating Identity Theft

The Senate Finance Committee learned that the number of identity theft cases that the IRS received between 2009 and 2011 nearly tripled. To better protect taxpayers, one senator introduced the Identity Theft and Tax Fraud Prevention Act. This measure would enable the IRS to better detect tax fraud and protect taxpayers from identity theft.

Something needs to be done to thwart identity theft. This year, tax refunds have been delayed because the IRS has been implementing steps to ensure that the refunds are legitimate and not the product of identity thieves.

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Tax Glossary

Tax deferral

Shifting income to a later year, such as where you defer taxable interest to the following year by purchasing a T-bill or savings certificate maturing after the end of the current year. Investments in qualified retirement plans provide tax deferral.

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