IRS Least Popular Federal Agency

 Posted on October 22, 2013 in Taxation Law

The results of a new poll that was conducted recently confirmed what every California tax lawyer already knows-Americans have a very negative view of the Internal Revenue Service. The federal agency for tax matters was ranked at the bottom of the pile in popularity.The survey was conducted byPew Research, and found that overall, public trust in federal government agencies is at all-time record lows. However, overall, the poll also found that Americans have a favorable view of most government agencies and departments, and also have an overall positive view of federal workers. However, when it comes to the Internal Revenue Service, feelings seem to be not- so- positive.The respondents in the survey were asked to rate 13 federal agencies and institutions. Out of these, nine institutions were regarded favorably by 60% or more of the respondents. However, the IRS was the only federal agency which was rated more unfavorably than favorably by the public. Approximately 51% of the public expressed a negative view about the tax agency, while approximately 41% had a favorable opinion about the IRS. However, when it came to the other federal agencies that were included in the survey, most of the respondents had favorable opinions to express. For Instance, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention received a 75% favorable rating in the survey, while the Veterans Administration got a 68% favorable rating. The Department Of Homeland Security was rated favorably by 66% of the respondents.Republicans seemed to have the worst opinion of the Internal Revenue Service, with just 23% having a favorable opinion of the agency. Approximately 65% of Democrats and 40% of independents expressed a favorable opinion of the Internal Revenue Service.