国家地理:Inside the IRS 美国国税局（在线收听） |
| So while the thought of paying taxes can make some of us groan, it's unavoidable, and an integral part of being an American. This is part of being a member of this society. You have an obligation -- it's a price you're paying for living in this society. Some businesses pay their taxes on a quarterly basis, but the majority of us face one deadline. And some procrastinate to the bitter end. Tax forms and checks from across the nation pour into nine IRS processing centers. No surprise that many come in between April 17th and 24th. In 2006, the Fresno Processing Center was inundated with more than six million returns during this last-minute rush. To handle the volume, the IRS steps up from January to May, with more than 30,000 seasonal employees and they have to get all refund checks to their rightful owners within 45 days of tax day, or taxpayers can claim interest. Incoming mail is sorted and opened, then the checks are deposited; next stop, the Code and Edit Department, where employees check returns for required information and also act as the first line of defense against tax scams. Occasionally, there is identified schemes which criminal investigation make(s) us aware of, and they put us on the alert to look for certain things. Employees keep an eye out for handwritten W-2s that can sometimes be fake, and other red flags like returns with the same addresses, social security numbers, incomes and multiple refunds. Sometimes returns get flagged for other reasons, even before they are opened. Sometimes the flags can be potentially dangerous. Since April 17th, we've had 11 potentially hazardous situations where we evacuated our employees. Bomb-sniffing dogs inspect each crate of mail twice -- once outside and again inside. Luckily, nothing suspicious is detected in this batch. The types of things that normally come in are mainly prank things. Nothing really serious has come into this center yet, even though we take all these precautions. A lot of it is flour, coffee, sugar, sometimes they do have a threatening note attached, threatening letters, you know, describing what they don't want their taxes spent on. Director Frederick Hodge has also seen his share of oddities over the past 30 years. Well, we've had everything coming in from brown sugar to dust out of the vacuum cleaner to people spreading mustard on check, now, that check is processible, we just wipe them off and send it to the bank. procrastinate: (v.) To put off doing something, especially out of habitual carelessness or laziness. 推迟拖延做某事 inundate: (v.) To cover with water, especially floodwaters. 淹没 step up: (v.) Increase, especially in stages 加紧 red flag: (n.) A warning signal. evacuate: (v.) To withdraw or send away (troops or inhabitants) from a threatened area. 撤离 prank: (n.) A mischievous trick or practical joke. 恶作剧恶 |
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