The figure represents nearly half the $13 million that investment funds paid placement agents for landing business with Kentucky between 2004 and 2009, according to a Kentucky auditor's report released last summer.
Four suitably trained auditors formed the auditor's team.
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Anthony Burke, an I.R.S. spokesman, acknowledged that in many cases, "rational, well-meaning people can come to very different conclusions" about specific tax issues, even among the agency's own auditors and revenue agents.
The agency has fewer auditors and agents to examine returns now than in 1988 -- 27,375 today compared with 31,895 then, a 14percentt decline.
In recent years, many of the best auditors and special agents have retired.
They have a lot in common with doctors, athletes, auditors, real-estate agents and people in many other lines of work.
So some refund checks were slowed while nearly everyone in the department — from auditors and revenue agents to top agency officials — was directed to pitch in by opening up envelopes and processing tax returns.
