Dissemination of Statistical Products: The IRS’s Journey Martha Eller Gangi U.S. Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income Division ~May 13, 2008~

Outline of Presentation: Taxonomy of the U.S. Statistical System, IRS and SOI SOI Mission and History Print and Web Dissemination Current and Future Initiatives Challenges Along the Journey Conclusion and Contact Information

U.S. Statistical System:

U.S. Statistical System, Continued:

U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS):

Statistics of Income Division (SOI):

4 Visual Design Specialists, including Webmaster 1 Writer/Editor 1 Publishing Coordinator Statistical Data Section, SOI’s Dissemination Team:

Statistical Information Services (SIS): A team of 4 economists and statisticians who are available to answer questions from all SOI customers, including media and the public. Receives and answers phone calls, faxes and e- mail requests, as well as requests via Tax Stats and IRS On-Line Help Desk. Responds to about 2,000 customer requests per calendar year.

SOI Mission and History: The Revenue Act of 1916 requires the Secretary of the U.S. Treasury to publish statistics on the operations of the tax system, at least annually. SOI satisfies this mandate by collecting, processing, analyzing and disseminating data and information on federal taxation. First print report published in 1918.

Dissemination via SOI Bulletin, 1981:

Dissemination via SOI Bulletin, Today: Total Distribution = Print Copies: About 275 copies to SOI About 280 on intra-agency distribution list About 300 to Government Printing Office for libraries and sales About 15 to Library of Congress

IRS Data Book  The IRS annual report IRS Research Bulletin  Compilation of papers given at the annual IRS Research Conference SOI Paper Series  Research presented at professional conferences SOI Individual Income Tax Returns SOI Corporation Income Tax Returns SOI Corporation Source Book Other SOI Publications:

Tax Stats Web Site,

Tax Stats Web Site, Continued: Today, offers more than 7,600 publications, statistical files and tables. Site averages between 300,000 and 400,000 downloads per month. Nearly 12,000 subscribers to dispatch system.

Current and Future Initiatives: Introduced SOI Paper Series. Continue to encourage short articles on current topics. Introduce information-layering project. Continue to work toward full compliance with accessibility standards. Implement “dynamic tables” application. Create web pages for children, students and teachers. Expand availability of metadata and use of hyperlinks.

Simple graphs and charts Data highlights Background and links Information- Layering Project:

Links to Microsoft Excel Versions of Tables: Link

Challenges Along the Journey: Change of mindset Shift to new practices and dissemination processes Restrictions on web utilization by parent site, irs.gov Making accessibility integral to work Anticipating the needs of customers, print vs. web Small dissemination team

Conclusion and Contact Information: Dissemination/communication of data is always a journey. SOI will continue to pursue its historic mandate with excitement. (202) (Statistical Information Services)