WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today announced that the summer 2013 issue of the Statistics of Income Bulletin is available at IRS.gov. The summer 2013 issue features data from Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement, filed with individual income tax returns for tax years 2008 through 2010.

The Statistics of Income (SOI) Division produces the SOI Bulletin on a quarterly basis. Articles included in the publication provide the most recent data available from various tax and information returns filed by U.S. taxpayers. This issue of the SOI Bulletin also includes articles on the following topics:

• Wage Income and Elective Retirement Contributions from Form W-2, 2008-2010. The average individual W-2 earnings rose slightly from $40,532 in 2008 to $40,892 in 2010. Some 65.8 million taxpayers with W-2 income participated in an employer-sponsored retirement savings plan in tax year 2010, making $209.2 billion in direct contributions for the year.
• Sole Proprietorship Returns, 2011. Approximately 23.4 million individual income tax returns reported nonfarm sole proprietorship activity for tax year 2011. Profits rose to $282.6 billion for the year, a 5.6-percent increase from 2010. Total receipts increased to $1.3 trillion for 2011, up 5.9 percent from 2010.
• Foreign Recipients of U.S. Income, 2010. Foreign persons received $557.8 billion in U.S.-source income in Calendar Year 2010, representing a 2.1-percent increase over the amount paid in 2009. Interest payments accounted for the largest share of income paid to foreign recipients (46.8 percent) in 2010, followed by dividends (20 percent).
• Foreign-Controlled Domestic Corporations, 2010. Foreign-controlled domestic corporations (73,210) accounted for 1.3 percent of all U.S. corporation income tax returns filed for tax year 2010. Total receipts for these corporations ($4.1 trillion) and total assets ($11.2 trillion) accounted for 15.5 percent of the receipts and 14.1 percent of the assets reported on all U.S. corporation income tax returns for the year.
• Corporate Foreign Tax Credit, 2009. For tax year 2009, some 5,706 U.S. corporations claimed a foreign tax credit of more than $93 billion against their U.S. income tax liability.
• Unrelated Business Income Tax Returns, 2009. Some 42,469 tax-exempt organizations reported $9.7 billion in gross unrelated business income for tax year 2009.
• Use of the Empowerment Zone and Renewal Community Employment Credit, Tax Years 1998-2010. Federal empowerment zones (EZ) and renewal communities (RC) are economically distressed geographic areas eligible for temporary tax incentives to encourage economic development. The amount of allowable EZ/RC employment credit claimed on individual and corporate tax returns increased from $41.7 million in 1998, to $277.1 million in 2005, before declining to $172.9 million in 2010.

The Statistics of Income Bulletin is available for download at IRS.gov/taxstats. Printed copies of the Statistics of Income Bulletin are available from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, P.O. Box 371954, Pittsburgh, PA 15250-7954. The annual subscription rate is $67 ($93.80 foreign), single issues cost $44 ($61.60 foreign).

For more information about these data, write to the Director, Statistics of Income (SOI) Division, RAS:S, Internal Revenue Service, 1111 Constitution Avenue NW, K-Room 4112, Washington, DC 20224.

Are you thinking about taxes while you’re enjoying the warm summer months? Not likely! But the IRS wants you to know that scammers ARE thinking about taxes and ways to dupe you out of your money.

Tax scams can happen anytime of the year, not just during tax season. Three common year-round scams are identity theft, phishing and return preparer fraud. These schemes are on the top of the IRS’s “Dirty Dozen” list of scams this year. They’re illegal and can lead to significant penalties and interest, even criminal prosecution.

Here’s more information about these scams that every taxpayer should know.

1. Identity Theft.  Tax fraud by identity theft tops this year’s Dirty Dozen list. Identity thieves use personal information, such as your name, Social Security number or other identifying information without your permission to commit fraud or other crimes. An identity thief may also use another person’s identity to fraudulently file a tax return and claim a refund.

   The IRS has a special identity protection page on IRS.gov dedicated to identity theft issues. It has helpful links to information, such as how victims can contact the IRS Identity Theft Protection Specialized Unit, and how you can protect yourself against identity theft.

2. Phishing.  Scam artists use phishing to trick unsuspecting victims into revealing personal or financial information. Phishing scammers may pose as the IRS and send bogus emails, set up phony websites or make phone calls. These contacts usually offer a fictitious refund or threaten an audit or investigation to lure victims into revealing personal information. Phishers then use the information they obtain to steal the victim’s identity, access their bank accounts and credit cards or apply for loans. The IRS does not initiate contact with taxpayers by email to request personal or financial information. Please forward suspicious scams to the IRS at phishing@irs.gov. You can also visit IRS.gov and select the link “Reporting Phishing”at the bottom of the page.
3. Return Preparer Fraud.  Most tax professionals file honest and accurate returns for their clients. However, some dishonest tax return preparers skim a portion of the client’s refund or charge inflated fees for tax preparation. Some try to attract new clients by promising refunds that are too good to be true.

   Choose carefully when hiring an individual or firm to prepare your return. All paid tax preparers must sign the return they prepare and enter their IRS Preparer Tax Identification Number (PTIN). The IRS created a webpage to assist taxpayers when choosing a tax preparer. It includes red flags to look for and information on how and when to make a complaint. Visitwww.irs.gov/chooseataxpro.

For the full list of 2013 Dirty Dozen tax scams, or to find out how to report suspected tax fraud, visit IRS.gov.

Additional IRS Resources:

• How Do You Report Suspected Tax Fraud Activity?
• Protect Yourself from the Dirty Dozen Tax Scams

IRS YouTube Videos:

• Protect Yourself From Identity Theft – English | Spanish | ASL
• Are You a Victim of Identity Theft? – English | Spanish | ASL
• Phishing – Malware – English | Spanish | ASL
• Choosing a Tax Preparer – English | Spanish | ASL

IRS Podcasts:

• Protect Yourself from Identity Theft – English | Spanish
• Are You a Victim of Identity Theft? – English | Spanish
• Dirty Dozen – English | Spanish