Every year, the National Taxpayer Advocate’s Annual Report to Congress identifies at least 20 of the nation’s most serious tax problems. These issues can affect taxpayers’ basic rights and the ways they pay taxes or receive refunds, even if they’re not involved in a dispute with the IRS.
As your voice at the IRS, the National Taxpayer Advocate uses the Annual Report to elevate these problems and recommend solutions to Congress and the highest levels of the IRS.
Tax Law Questions: The IRS’s Failure To Answer The Right Tax Law Questions At The Right Time Harms Taxpayers, Erodes Taxpayer Rights, And Undermines Confidence In The IRS
In 2014, the IRS implemented a policy to only answer tax law questions during the filing season, roughly from January through mid-April of any year. It justified this abrupt change in policy as a cost-savings effort in a time of budget constraints. This change does not comport with an agency charged with administering the tax law and focused on the customer experience.
Taxpayers have ever-changing tax situations year-round. People move, open a business, close a business, get married, get divorced, have children, and experience many other life changes that affect their tax obligations. Forcing taxpayers into a 3.5-month window to ask questions or making it necessary for them to seek advice from a third-party source can be frustrating and costly to the taxpayer and result in eroded trust and confidence in the IRS. Read Full Discussion
Transparency Of The Office Of Chief Counsel: Counsel Is Keeping More Of Its Analysis Secret Just When Taxpayers Need More Guidance Than Ever
