IRS Taxpayer Service ‘Woefully Inadequate,’ Olson Says

IRS Taxpayer Service ‘Woefully Inadequate,’ Olson Says

IRS Taxpayer Advocate Service

Internal Revenue Service

Taxpayer service at the IRS is currently very poor, as evidenced by low telephone response rates, unclear audit notices, and harsh collection actions against low-income taxpayers, and the agency has neither a strategy nor budget commitment to improve service, National Taxpayer Advocate Nina Olson said.

Taxpayer service at the IRS is currently very poor, as evidenced by low telephone response rates, unclear audit notices, and harsh collection actions against low-income taxpayers, and the agency has neither a strategy nor budget commitment to improve service, National Taxpayer Advocate Nina Olson said.

Taxpayer service at the IRS is currently very poor, as evidenced by low telephone response rates, unclear audit notices, and harsh collection actions against low-income taxpayers, and the agency has neither a strategy nor budget commitment to improve service, National Taxpayer Advocate Nina Olson said in her fiscal 2020 objectives report to Congress, Volume I. Olson recommended that the IRS design its taxpayer services with a “[t]axpayer [a]nxiety [i]ndex” in mind, which will help increase taxpayer trust and improve compliance, thereby resulting in a more effective and efficient tax system. The report included a review of the 2019 filing season, which went smoothly for most taxpayers despite a decline in service levels, and an examination of how the partial government shutdown affected the Taxpayer Advocate Service. Olson identified 12 priority issues for the TAS in fiscal 2020, which include developing an online roadmap tool for taxpayers to better navigate the tax system, calling on the IRS to allow Amish taxpayers without Social Security numbers to receive full child tax credit benefits, designing notices that better protect taxpayer rights, and advocating for the IRS to identify and educate taxpayers facing economic hardship throughout the collection process. Finally, the report outlined TAS efforts to improve its advocacy, such as outreach to underserved taxpayers and communities and TAS research initiatives. Volume II of the report, which will provide IRS responses to the most serious problems Olson included in her previous report to Congress, and Volume III, which will examine ways to improve administration and taxpayer rights regarding the earned income tax credit, are scheduled for release in July.

Taxpayer service at the IRS is currently very poor, as evidenced by low telephone response rates, unclear audit notices, and harsh collection actions against low-income taxpayers, and the agency has neither a strategy nor budget commitment to improve service, National Taxpayer Advocate Nina Olson said in her fiscal 2020 objectives report to Congress, Volume I. Olson recommended that the IRS design its taxpayer services with a “[t]axpayer [a]nxiety [i]ndex” in mind, which will help increase taxpayer trust and improve compliance, thereby resulting in a more effective and efficient tax system. The report included a review of the 2019 filing season, which went smoothly for most taxpayers despite a decline in service levels, and an examination of how the partial government shutdown affected the Taxpayer Advocate Service. Olson identified 12 priority issues for the TAS in fiscal 2020, which include developing an online roadmap tool for taxpayers to better navigate the tax system, calling on the IRS to allow Amish taxpayers without Social Security numbers to receive full child tax credit benefits, designing notices that better protect taxpayer rights, and advocating for the IRS to identify and educate taxpayers facing economic hardship throughout the collection process. Finally, the report outlined TAS efforts to improve its advocacy, such as outreach to underserved taxpayers and communities and TAS research initiatives. Volume II of the report, which will provide IRS responses to the most serious problems Olson included in her previous report to Congress, and Volume III, which will examine ways to improve administration and taxpayer rights regarding the earned income tax credit, are scheduled for release in July.