She also suggested that Congress hold hearings in the next few months on the future state of IRS operations. And she says the public should, but has not, been consulted on its development.
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“The widespread expectation is that traditional taxpayer services – telephone assistance and face-to-face assistance – will be scaled back dramatically”. While the overarching goal is worthy, the taxpayer advocate said, it is troubling that the agency intends “to substantially reduce telephone and face-to-face interaction with taxpayers”. “The key unanswered question is by how much…”
An IP PIN is a six-digit number assigned to certain taxpayers in a pilot program in Florida, Georgia and the District of Columbia that provide an additional layer of protection against identity theft, which is most prevalent in those states. The process will begin for personal income tax returns on January 19, which is the same day the Internal Revenue Service begins accepting returns.
The advocate said there is an emphasis at the agency on enforcement over customer service in the IRS’s long-term strategic plan, and that could force many to pay tax preparers for advice they used to get for free. Olson calls this a secret plan that IRS officials have not, and should, release to the public. “U.S. taxpayers pay the bills for our government”.
The erosion of taxpayer service to the 150 million people and 11 million businesses that file has always been a concern of the advocate. The plan has already cost millions of dollars, Olson writes.
WASHINGTON (AP) Got a question for the IRS about your taxes? Olson asked in a statement accompanying the report. This year’s report identifies 24 problems, makes dozens of recommendations for administrative change, makes 15 recommendations for legislative change and analyzes the ten tax issues most frequently litigated in the federal courts. The IRS approves about 95 percent of applications submitted on Form 1023-EZ; however, the IRS’s own data shows it approves only about 77 percent of applications when it reviews supporting documentation.
According to IRS’s explanation, the increase comes from a combination of consolidating other forms into one “information collection requirement” and updating the estimation methodology from one used since “the mid-1980’s”.
More than 9 million filers had delays with their refunds or received IRS notices proposing to adjust tax payments past year, the report said, underscoring the need for taxpayers to talk to employees.
Thorough research and analysis of current tax issues and trends is a vital part of the annual report.
The more taxpayers who do this, the more staff will be freed up to interact directly with those who need help, he said.
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Please visit http://www.taxpayeradvocate.irs.gov/2015AnnualReport for more information about this report, including an Executive Summary and downloadable graphics on key report features. But the list of citizens who, ah, qualify to have their passports yanked away will be compiled by the IRS. “In addition to saving people time and money, the appointment-based system will help the men and women of the IRS better serve South Florida, which continues to struggle with high rates of tax fraud and identity theft”. And our service is free.
