January 14th, 2017 by WCBC Radio

With the 2017  tax season about to start, Comptroller Franchot will convene a diverse group of government and private industry leaders as well as consumer protection advocates Thursday, January 19, at the University of Baltimore for a taxpayer security summit.

At the forum, participants will discuss and share information on new and disturbing forms of income tax fraud confronting tax administrators and challenging information technology teams in states throughout the country. Last tax season, the Maryland Comptroller’s office stopped accepting income tax returns from 61 companies doing business in 68 locations, including 23 different Liberty Tax Service franchises, for submitting numerous highly suspicious returns. Collectively, they filed thousands of state returns that the agency believed to be fraudulent.  The summit will feature presentations from federal and state tax administrators, local private industry leaders and consumer protection advocates who will discuss ongoing initiatives and strategies to identify and combat tax fraud in its many forms.