Internal Revenue Service Commissioner Doug Shulman plans to finish his term on Nov. 9 and will be replaced by Steven T. Miller, deputy commissioner for services and enforcement, as acting commissioner.
The IRS said Wednesday that Shulman, the 47th IRS commissioner, has decided to step down on Nov. 9, the last day of his term. Shulman indicated earlier this year that he planned to step down at the end of his term, the IRS noted.
Shulman has served as IRS commissioner since March 24, 2008. Under the law, IRS commissioners are nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate for a term of up to five years with their terms ending on Nov. 12 of their final year (Nov. 9 is the last work day of Shulman’s term because Nov. 12 is a federal holiday).
“The IRS team made remarkable progress in the last few years during a challenging period,” Shulman said in a statement. “It has been an honor to serve the American people during this dynamic time.”
Shulman was largely responsible for spearheading a drive to regulate the tax preparer profession. He inaugurated a program to register all paid tax preparers and require competency exams and continuing education. He has also helped modernize the technology used at the IRS and begun the development of a real-time tax filing and processing system.
Miller, who is a 25-year veteran of the IRS, will serve as acting IRS commissioner when Shulman steps down. He has been heavily involved in IRS efforts to crack down on identity theft-related tax fraud.
