Treasury Secretary Lew has named a new acting IRS commissioner to replace Steven Miller, the acting commissioner who resigned amidst ongoing IRS improprieties now under investigation. Daniel Werfel, who had been serving as controller of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), will be the acting commissioner until a commissioner is named.
The commissioner of Internal Revenue is the chief executive officer for the IRS. The commissioner is nominated by the president of the United States and confirmed by the Senate for a 5-year term, and may be reappointed to more than 1 term. The last IRS commissioner was Douglas Shulman, whose term ended in November 2012.
A written determination issued to a taxpayer by the IRS that interprets and applies the tax laws to the taxpayer’s specific set of facts. A letter ruling advises the taxpayer regarding the tax treatment that can be expected from the IRS in the circumstances specified by the ruling. It may not be used or cited as precedent by another taxpayer.