IRS and the Tax Filing Season

Joseph Bishop-HenchmanMonday marked the beginning of income tax filing season, with every American now facing a deadline to get their papers together and submit forms to the IRS. Biden Administration officialspromised in theNew York Times that the recent $80 billion in added IRS funding will improve performance from the agency ’s appalling service of recent years:As the filing season begins, the I.R.S. is racing to prepare 5,000 recently hired agents to answer the telephones and respond to questions from taxpayers. It is also rolling out new automated systems and staffing up its brick ‐​and‐​mortar taxpayer assistance centers.The upgrades are intended to highlight the initial impact of the money it received through last year ’s Inflation Reduction Act legislation and allay fears fanned by Republicans that the funds will be used to ramp up audits on middle‐​class Americans and small businesses.“These improvements showcase how we are modernizing both technology and customer service to bring the I.R.S. into the 21st century,” Wally Adeyemo, the deputy Treasury secretary, said during a briefing with reporters.Adeyemo may be thinking of the wrong century: answering questions in brick ‐​and‐​mortar offices and on telephones is more like the 20th century. But Adeyemo is right that IRS service needs modernizing. Last year, only 13 percent (22 million out of 173 million) oftaxpayer phone calls were answered, up from 11 percent in 2021. Those who g...

Source: Cato-at-liberty - January 25, 2023 Category: American Health Authors: Joseph Bishop-Henchman Source Type: blogs