TAX

It doesn’t seem to know which problems most need solving.

By CPA Trendlines Research

The Internal Revenue Service wants to do a better job. It really does. It got an infusion of funds (though it seems some might get taken back), and it’s got a Strategic Operating Plan with objectives for improving the taxpayer experience and modernizing operations.

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And it’s made a lot of progress. But it’s still got wide open spaces to accommodate improvement.
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Taxpayer Advocate calls for more transparency.

By CPA Trendlines Research

The Internal Revenue Service is the one federal agency that touches nearly every American. Yet too often taxpayers and tax preparers find it all but impossible to see what they need to see in that dark and distant entity.

• Many struggle to access information from the IRS.
• Many have difficulty finding clear, timely, dependable guidance.
• Many can’t determine the status of pending issues.

MORE: 10 Tips to the IRS for Beefing Up Staff | Eight Ways the IRS Can Speed Up Processing Tax Returns | IRS Plays Whac-A-Mole with the Phones | Ten IRS Problems That Need Solutions | Treasury IG Sees Progress at IRS | VCs Plunk $60 Million into AI-Powered ‘Autonomous’ Tax Prep | Tax Pros Are Expanding and Earning More | With Fresh Funding, IRS Shows Service Improvements | How Tax Practitioners Became Cybersecurity Risks | Top Tax Vendors Caught Red-Handed Selling Private Taxpayer Data
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• Many can’t understand IRS correspondence or how to respond to it.
• Many never find an IRS agent who can answer a question authoritatively.
• Many find it impossible to resolve an issue.
• Many, after experiencing any of the above, suffer the stress of confusion and frustration.
• Many end up distrusting the tax system.

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Guess who has the federal government’s worst retention rate for employees under 40?

By CPA Trendlines Research

If you think it’s hard staffing a CPA firm, imagine the challenges at the Internal Revenue Service where

• the pay’s not so good
• laws limit bonuses
• it takes three months to hire an applicant
• federal bureaucracy gums up the process
• the hiring process uses antiquated technology
• only a remote office can authorize many hires

MORE: Eight Ways the IRS Can Speed Up Processing Tax Returns | IRS Plays Whac-A-Mole with the Phones | VCs Plunk $60 Million into AI-Powered ‘Autonomous’ Tax Prep | How Tax Practitioners Became Cybersecurity Risks
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• the recruitment and retention budgets are austere
• training programs, spaces and equipment are inadequate
• more than 100 full-time positions need to be filled every day
• over half of employees will be eligible to retire within five years

The Taxpayer Advocacy Service says the IRS needs to deal with these problems, and it’s going to take money, effort, technology and legislation to get it done.
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