Shulman wants to move on uncertain tax positions soon rather than later

IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman on Monday said his agency will likely begin creating final regulations for uncertain tax positions shortly after its comment period ends on June 1. 

"Implementation will depend on comments we get," he told an audience at the National Press Club. "Our goal is to not have this lag and to move forward." 

Companies are required to maintain a capital reserve for uncertain tax positions they think might eventually be overturned by the IRS. But they do not have to share this information with the agency. 

The IRS wants companies to disclose their more susceptible tax positions to expedite the auditing process. 

"Right now, we spend a lot of time with corporate taxpayers just trying to find those issues -- which we find eventually," Shulman said. "I think it's a waste of time for corporate taxpayers and a waste of time for the IRS. We're trying to streamline the process... so we can resolve issues quicker."