can a tax preparer add deductions without asking the tax payer?

Question asked by: can a tax preparer add deductions without asking the tax payer?
can a tax preparer add deductions without asking the tax payer? when the the taxpayer gets audited he/she wont have any proofs. student tuitions, donations, employee expenses & vehicle mileage etc…. will the tax payer & tax preparer both get in trouble by the irs? in USA

Helpful replies:

Answer by the tax lady
Both get in trouble.

The preparer for fraud–and once caught, ALL of his clients’ returns will get looked at.
The taxpayer for fraud as well because they didn’t challenge it or amend it, so they are equally guilty.

If it’s fraud, all returns for the past 6 years will be looked at.

A taxpayer took this to tax court last year and lost. The court ruled that the taxpayer could not claim innocence by blaming the preparer. The court agreed that the taxpayer SIGNED the return and had ample time to review/amend even after they left the preparer’s office.

Answer by SmartA$$
The return still has to be signed by the tax payer. Therefore the taxpayer is liable for the information on the return. If the tax payer has a question about something on the return, they should ask for clarification and refuse to sign the return until they know it is correct.

A tax preparers job is to prepare the return based on the information provided to them. They should only add deductions if the tax payer gives them information to indicate that they qualify for the deductions.