Taxed to the limit? — Uplink Archive

A Syracuse University research group analyzed IRS criminal prosecution data and found that taxpayers in some American communities face charges at dramatically different rates, though the overall likelihood of criminal charges remains extremely low at 17 per million.

Taxpayers in some American communities are at least 10 times more likely to face criminal charges from the Internal Revenue Service than those living in others, according to a new analysis of internal government records.

Detailed data obtained by Syracuse University's Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC), also show that the chances the IRS will recommend criminal charges against anyone are extraordinarily remote: only 17 per million. (The FBI says you're five times more likely to be murdered.)

TRAC's data is available via the web for reporters who want to do a CAR story on what's happening in their area. Reporters can download the data for individual federal districts.

The Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse is a data research organization connected with Syracuse University. The co-directors of TRAC are David Burnham, a former investigative reporter with the New York Times, and Susan Long, a professor in Syracuse's School of Management who has specialized in IRS issues for more than 25