IRS watchdog plans to retire this year

Nina Olson, who has served as the IRS’s in-house watchdog since 2001, announced on Friday that she is planning to retire from her job leading the Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) later this year.

“It is with a mix of excitement and bittersweet emotions that I am announcing today I will be retiring from the position of National Taxpayer Advocate on July 31, 2019,” Olson wrote in a blog post on the TAS website. “I am making the announcement now because I want to prepare the Taxpayer Advocate Service for a smooth transition, and I want to participate in the selection of my successor.”

{mosads}Olson leads an organization that helps taxpayers resolve their issues with the IRS. She releases an annual report to Congress about the most serious problems taxpayers encounter, with her latest report focusing on the IRS’s outdated technology and the impact of the government shutdown on the agency.

She also frequently testifies before Congress and is slated to appear before the House Ways and Means Oversight Subcommittee next week to discuss this year’s tax-filing season.

In her blog post, Olson praised the employees at the TAS and said that she’s proud the organization shows that the government can protect taxpayers’ rights.

“While that statement seems almost impossible to some, TAS has shown it is, in fact, possible to have an effective taxpayer rights advocacy organization within the IRS,” she wrote.

Under the federal tax code, the Treasury secretary appoints the National Taxpayer Advocate after consulting with the IRS commissioner.