[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 180 (Friday, September 16, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57804-57806]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-23715]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY

Internal Revenue Service


Proposed Collection; Comment Request for the IRS Individual 
Taxpayer Burden Survey

AGENCY: Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Treasury.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Department of the Treasury, as part of its continuing 
effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general 
public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment 
on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by 
the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 
3506(c)(2)(A)). Currently, the IRS is soliciting comments concerning 
the IRS Individual Taxpayer Burden Survey.

DATES: Written comments should be received on or before November 15, 
2011 to be assured of consideration.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Yvette Lawrence, Internal 
Revenue Service, Room 6129, 1111 Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, 
DC 20224.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of the form and instructions should be directed to R. Joseph 
Durbala, (202) 622-3634, at Internal Revenue Service, Room 6129, 1111 
Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20224, or through the Internet 
at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: IRS Individual Taxpayer Burden Survey.
    OMB Number: 1545-2212.
    Form Number: CS-11-276.
    Abstract: Each year, individual taxpayers in the United States 
submit more than 140 million tax returns to the Internal Revenue 
Service (IRS). The IRS uses the information in these returns, recorded 
on roughly one hundred distinct forms and supporting schedules, to 
administer a tax system whose rules span thousands of pages. Managing 
such a complex and broad-based tax system is costly but represents only 
a fraction of the total burden of the tax system. Equally, if not more 
burdensome, is the time and out-of-pocket expenses that citizens spend 
in order to comply with tax laws and regulations.
    The IRS has conducted prior surveys of individual taxpayers in 
1984, 1999, 2000, 2007. Changes in tax regulations, tax administration, 
tax preparation methods, and taxpayer behavior continue to alter the 
amount and distribution of taxpayer burden. To update our understanding 
of this burden, the IRS contracted Westat to survey individual 
taxpayers regarding the time and money taxpayers spend in response to 
their Federal income tax obligations. We intend to conduct an updated 
survey to better reflect the current tax rules and regulations, the 
increased usage of tax preparation software, increased efficiency of 
such software, changes in tax preparation regulations, the increased 
use of electronic filing, the behavioral response of taxpayers to the 
tax system, the changing use of services, both IRS and external, and 
related information collection needs.
    The purpose of the IRS entity surveys is to provide Congress and 
the President with accurate estimates of the costs incurred by 
corporations, partnerships, limited liability companies, tax-exempt 
organizations, and government entities in complying with Federal rules 
and regulations.
    The critical items on the survey concern respondents' time and cost 
burden estimates for complying with tax filing regulations. Additional 
items on the survey will serve as contextualizing variables for 
interpretation of the burden items. These items include information 
regarding tax preparation methods and activities, tax-related 
recordkeeping, gathering materials, learning about tax law, using IRS 
and/or non-IRS taxpayer services, and tax form completion.
    Current Actions: New surveys are being added to this collection. 
Surveys Covered Under This Clearance Request.
    Individual Taxpayers:
    2010 Individual Burden Survey,
    2011 Individual Burden Survey,
    2011 Post-Filing Burden Survey,
    2012 Individual Burden Survey, and
    2012 Post-Filing Burden Survey.
    Entity Taxpayers:
    2010 Tax Exempt Entity Burden Survey and
    2011 Business Taxpayers Burden Survey.
    This form is being submitted for renewal purposes only.
    Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Affected Public: Individuals, Businesses and other for-profit 
organizations.

    Each respondent will receive either a letter with instructions 
to complete the survey (web-first) or a letter and survey (mail-
first), which they may spend about one minute reading. Each 
potential respondent will participate only once. The potential 
response rate, which varies depending on the type of survey, is 
indicated in the burden estimate charts below.
    Estimated time to complete the surveys is based on results from 
prior cognitive interviews. We estimate that it will take 
approximately the same time to complete the mail, web and phone 
versions of the questionnaire. The content included in each 
instrument will be the same.
    The total annual burden estimates for the covered surveys is as 
follows:

2010 Surveys 5,033 hours
2011 Surveys 7,726 hours

[[Page 57805]]

2012 Surveys 4,066 hours

    The estimated burden for each survey is itemized below:

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                                              Number of       Frequency of      Average time       Annual hour
                Activity                     respondents        response          (minutes)          burden
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                                     2010 Individual Taxpayer Burden Survey
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Reading invitation letter & reminder                20,000                 1                 1               333
 postcards..............................
Survey Completion.......................            10,000                 1                18             3,000
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    Total...............................  ................  ................  ................             3,333
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                                      2010 Tax Exempt Entity Burden Survey
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Reading invitation letter & reminder                12,000                 1                 1               200
 postcards..............................
Survey Completion.......................             6,000                 1                15             1,500
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    Total...............................  ................  ................  ................             1,700
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                                     2011 Individual Taxpayer Burden Survey
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Reading invitation letter & reminder                20,000                 1                 1               333
 postcards..............................
Survey Completion.......................            10,000                 1                18             3,000
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    Total...............................  ................  ................  ................             3,333
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                                         2011 Post-Filing Burden Survey
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Testing*................................                27                 1                60                27
Reading invitation letter & reminder                 8,000                 1                 1               133
 postcards..............................
Survey Completion.......................             2,400                 1                15               600
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    Total...............................  ................  ................  ................               760
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                                      2011 Business Taxpayer Burden Survey
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Reading invitation letter & reminder                24,000                 1                 1               400
 postcards..............................
Survey Completion.......................             9,400                 1                20             3,133
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    Total...............................  ................  ................  ................             3,633
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                                     2012 Individual Taxpayer Burden Survey
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Reading invitation letter & reminder                20,000                 1                 1               333
 postcards..............................
Survey Completion.......................            10,000                 1                18             3,000
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    Total...............................  ................  ................  ................             3,333
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                                         2012 Post-Filing Burden Survey
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Reading invitation letter & reminder                 8,000                 1                 1               133
 postcards..............................
Survey Completion.......................             2,400                 1                15               600
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    Total...............................  ................  ................  ................               733
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The annual burden cost to respondents is estimated to total $107,455 (5,033 hours x $21.35) for 2010, $164,950
  (7,726 hours x $21.35) for 2011, and $86,809 (4,066 hours x $21.35) for 2012. This estimate is derived using
  $21.35, the May 2010 average wage rate from the Bureau of Labor and Statistics Occupational Employment
  Statistics Survey.
*The FY2011 Post-Filing Burden Survey will be the first attempt to collect information from the post-filing
  population in a manner that allows integrated analysis with pre-filing and post-filing burden. To better
  inform our survey effort and to ensure proper representation among post-filing groups (Correspondence Audits,
  Field/Office Audits, Appeals and Collections) in the survey test process, we are requesting additional
  respondents for survey testing for this survey only.

    The following paragraph applies to all of the collections of 
information covered by this notice:
    An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required 
to respond to, a collection of information unless the collection of 
information displays a valid OMB control number. Books or records 
relating to a collection of information must be retained as long as 
their contents may become material in the administration of any 
internal revenue law. Generally, tax returns and tax return information 
are confidential, as required by 26 U.S.C. 6103.
    Request for Comments: Comments submitted in response to this notice 
will be summarized and/or included in the request for OMB approval. All 
comments will become a matter of public record.
    Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the collection of information 
is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, 
including whether the information shall have practical utility; (b) the 
accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the collection of 
information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of 
the information to be collected; (d) ways to minimize the burden of the

[[Page 57806]]

collection of information on respondents, including through the use of 
automated collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology; and (e) estimates of capital or start-up costs and costs of 
operation, maintenance, and purchase of services to provide 
information.

    Approved: September 12, 2011.
Yvette Lawrence,
IRS Reports Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 2011-23715 Filed 9-15-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4830-01-P