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IRS Commissioner carousel keeps spinning

August 2, 2007

The latest personnel news out of the IRS office on Constitution Avenue is that the temporary tax commissioner is leaving, too. Acting IRS Commissioner Kevin M. Brown has announced he is outta there in mid-September.

Brown took over the top tax spot, temporarily it turns out, back in May after then-commish Mark W. Everson resigned so he could head up the American Red Cross.

Guess what?  Brown’s old boss will now be his new boss. Brown will be going to the Red Cross, too. Guess these guys got tired of pressuring taxpayers for money and decided to take their collecting talents to an area where they can pressure contributors.

At least the former IRS honchos will be able to make sure everyone knows the tax implications of their charitable gifts!

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Next new Commissioner:
Linda Stiff will take over as IRS Commissioner upon Brown’s departure.

In advance of the move to the big office, Stiff, who was IRS Deputy Commissioner for Operations
Support, last week was named Deputy Commissioner for Services and
Enforcement.

In her operations job, Stiff oversaw the development of policy for IRS
personnel services, technology and security. She also has served as
Deputy Commissioner of the Small Business/Self-Employed Division and as
Director of Compliance for the IRS Wage and Investment Division.

The IRS’ chief information officer, Richard Spires, will replace Stiff as head of Operations
Support.

But just in case, if any of you out there are interested in a career that apparently offers rapid promotion possibilities, get your resumes ready.

Heading home: I’m catching a flight back to the hubby in the heart of Texas this morning. Once I sort through all my notes and materials picked up at the Chicago Tax Forum — and catch up on sleep (these tax folks are wild!) — I’ll share what I learned.

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The More Tax Posts tab at the top of this page will take you to, well, more tax posts. You also can search below for a tax topic. 

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TAX-SAVVY WAYS 
TO WRAP UP 2026

It’s over! With October’s extended filing deadline behind us, it is now time to focus on year-end moves to reduce your 2026 tax bill. 

You’ll find ways to do just that on the Tax Tips page (see the More Tax Posts drop-down menu at the top of the blog), as well as the separate tax tip pages for each month, notably October through December. If you’re on the Tax Tips page, you’ll find a monthly list at the end of this column. If you’re on another blog page, you can head straight to the October tips; at the bottom of that tips page you’ll find links to all the other 11 months’ collections of tax advice.

Not to spoil what you’ll find in that tax advice, but it does cover such things as tax deductions for charitable donations, investment moves that could reduce tax due, and ways to max out your tax-favored retirement savings. 

Finally, as the year winds down, things get hectic. There are lots of other things to occupy our time, like the much more fun upcoming holidays. But don’t lose sight of taxes, since timing is key. To be of use, most tax moves must be made by the end of the tax year. That’s Thursday, Dec. 31, which also is the last business day of the year. 

So that you don’t miss that final tax year deadline, also keep an eye on the countdown clock below. It will keep you on top of just how much time is left to make important, tax-saving moves. (Note: I’m in the Central Time Zone, so adjust accordingly for where you live.)

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