IRS Official Spotlights Move to Audit More Wealthy Taxpayers

Making sure that wealthy taxpayers are properly reporting and paying their taxes remains “a big focus” of the IRS, a senior IRS official reemphasized Monday.

The agency said in September that pursuing wealthy taxpayers who own large sums in taxes would be a central part of its stepped-up enforcement efforts.

The IRS recently contacted about 1,600 wealthy taxpayers who collectively owe hundreds of millions of dollars. Demonstrating the agency has become more active in this area “has been very meaningful,” said Douglas O’Donnell, the IRS’s deputy commissioner for services and enforcement.

• Most such people do pay their taxes, but ...