Internal Revenue Service progress made, but further actions needed to improve financial management.

Book excerpt: This report is a follow-on to our report on the results of our audit of the Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) fiscal year 2000 financial statements. In fiscal year 2000, IRS was able to produce for the first time combined financial statements that were fairly stated in all material respects. This achievement was the result of the dedication and months of efforts of IRS management and staff working around serious systems deficiencies and internal control weaknesses, many of which have plagued IRS since we first began auditing its financial statements in 1992. Although this effort produced reliable financial statement balances, they were reliable only for a single point in time and fell short of addressing the fundamental weaknesses in IRS systems and internal controls. As a result, we gave an unqualified opinion on IRS fiscal year 2000 financial statements but also concluded that IRS did not maintain effective internal controls. We also found two instances of noncompliance with laws and regulations relating to IRS structuring of installment agreements and the timing of the release of tax liens.