Businesses and Customer Satisfaction

Businesses are working harder than ever to keep their customers. Business owners know it’s easier to re-sell to a customer they already have than to go out and find a new one. So, with a mantra of “retention is the new acquisition,” companies big and small are making new efforts to improve service. Even airlines and cell phone providers want to keep customers. They’re just not very good at it.

One tool that businesses use to improve performance is the humble customer satisfaction survey. But would it surprise you to learn that even the Internal Revenue Service conducts an annual “Taxpayer Attitude” survey? The IRS Oversight Board annually releases their survey, based on 1,000 completed interviews. (Oh, and get this — those interviews are conducted by phone from locations including San Jose, Costa Rica, and Cebu, Phillipines. Way to keep those jobs in America!)

Cheating on Taxes?

In a recent example, the most provocative question was the very first: “How much, if any, do you think is an acceptable amount to cheat on your income taxes?” For 2010, 8% of respondents replied “a little here and there,” and 4% replied “as much as possible.” These numbers are generally in line for results from previous years, which range from 6-12% for “a little here and there” and from 3-5% for “as much as possible.”

Along similar lines, 69% of respondents “completely agree” that “it is every American’s civic duty to pay their fair share of taxes.” 69% also “completely agree” that “everyone who cheats on their taxes should be held accountable.” But just 30% “completely agree” that “it is everyone’s personal responsibility to report anyone who cheats on their taxes.” Those numbers may sound low, given the disdain most Americans have for paying taxes — but they may also be skewed by those who just don’t want to admit how they really feel.

What factors influence whether we report and pay our taxes honestly? 35% reported that fear of an audit has a great deal of importance. 21% cited their belief that their neighbors are reporting and paying honestly. 39% cited third parties reporting their income (e.g., wages, interest, and dividends) to the IRS. And 80% said their own personal integrity has a great deal of importance.

How We Can Help

Our position here is simple. We don’t think you should ever pay a dime of tax you don’t legally owe. We agree with former Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist who said “There is nothing wrong with a strategy to avoid the payment of taxes. The Internal Revenue Code doesn’t prevent that.” And our experience with clients like you teaches us that proactive planning is the key to keeping your tax as low as we legally can.

We realize you don’t get to choose who collects your taxes. But you do get to choose who prepares them. And we’re confident our focus on proactive planning gives you reason to choose us. So feel free to tell us any time how we can keep delivering the best possible service!