Today, the IRS announced that it will increase the amount of information shared between the tax preparation industry and the government to safeguard taxypayers from identity theft and tax refund fraud. The IRS, states, and industry leaders agreed to form three separate groups that would improve taxpayer authentication, fraud identification, information assessment, cybersecurity frameworks, and communication with taxpayers.

These strategies are expected to improve security for the 2016 tax season. When speaking about the Security Summit, Commissioner Koskinen said, "We've made tremendous progress, and we will continue these efforts. Taxpayers filing their tax returns next filing season should have a safer and more secure experience."

Source: Internal Revenue Service