Watchdog Bares IRS Failures: From Snail-Paced Returns to Identity Theft Woes

Contact Your Elected Officials
The Epoch Times Header

IRS faces criticism despite billions in funding, as federal watchdog report highlights delays and challenges.

Despite getting billions of dollars in extra funding to help meet its pledge to provide taxpayers with โ€œtop-quality service,โ€ the IRS is failing to measure up to expectations in a number of areas, including taxpayer identity theft and amended tax return processing, a watchdog says.

Erin Collins, the national taxpayer advocate at the Taxpayer Advocate Service, released her 2023 Annual Report to Congress on Wednesday, on balance giving the IRS a passing grade.

โ€œOverall, the magnitude of successes exceeded the areas of weakness in 2023,โ€ Ms. Collins wrote in the reportโ€™s preface.

The watchdog gave the IRS plenty of bad marks, however, including for things like โ€œunconscionableโ€ delays in providing support to victims of tax-related identity theft or ongoing processing delays that โ€œburden and frustrateโ€ taxpayers.

โ€œThe year 2023 was one of extraordinary transition for the IRS and therefore for taxpayers,โ€ Ms. Collins wrote.

She added that the โ€œdespairโ€ of the past three years since the outbreak of the pandemic (when the IRS shut its offices and stopped processing paper-filed tax returns and correspondence) have given way to โ€œcautious optimismโ€ as the IRS managed to make some improvements.

The two most important IRS improvements in 2023 were answering a much higher percentage of taxpayer telephone calls and eliminating the backlog of paper-filed 1040 tax forms.

Despite these improvements, however, the watchdog noted that โ€œchallenges remain.โ€

Processing Challenges and Funding Boost

The Inflation Reduction Act that President Joe Biden signed into law in 2022 initially included around $80 billion to expand the IRSโ€™ budget over ten years.

This drew the ire of Republicans, who argued that much of that money would go to hiring an โ€œarmyโ€ of tax enforcers who would reach for low-hanging fruit and target ordinary Americans rather than wealthier, more financially sophisticated taxpayers who are trickier to audit.

The watchdog acknowledged in the report that some of the additional fundingโ€”specifically the part allocated to the IRS enforcement armโ€”has been โ€œcontroversial.โ€

Byย Tom Ozimek

Read Full Article on TheEpochTimes.com

The Epoch Times
The Epoch Timeshttps://www.theepochtimes.com/
Tired of biased news? The Epoch Times is truthful, factual news that other media outlets don't report. No spin. No agenda. Just honest journalism like it used to be.

With or without

The mullahs of Iran have been at war with the West, particularly the US, for half a century and Iran is also the worldโ€™s foremost champion of terrorism.

Artificial Intelligence Equals Awful Iniquities

WSJ article โ€œAI is Learning to Escape Human Controlโ€ said in 79 of 100 trials, the o3 AI code systems edited their own code to prevent human shutdown!

VIDEO: Deranged Feminist vs. Mating Ducks in Epic Public Meltdown

A middle-aged white lady lib harasses mating ducks to โ€œstop it!โ€ because the rough sex they enjoy appears non-consensual on the part of the female.

RFK Jr. Slashes ALL U.S. Funding For Bill Gatesโ€™ Global โ€˜Vaccine Allianceโ€™

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. recently pulled all U.S. government funding from Bill Gatesโ€™ Global โ€˜Vaccine Allianceโ€™ GAVI.

Seven Things Democrats Are Doing Wrong

Ask Democrat voters why Donald Trump was elected president again and you will get answers that show a lack of self-reflection and a ton of deflection.

US Streamlines Rule for Fining Illegal Immigrants, Will Issue Nearly $1,000 Daily Fines for Noncompliance

DHS and DOJ announced a new joint federal rule that streamlines the process of issuing fines for illegal immigrants, making it easier and more efficient.

Man Indicted on 12 Hate Crime Charges in Attack on Boulder Demonstration for Israeli Hostages

Boulder, CO man accused of hurling Molotov cocktails at demonstrators supporting Israeli hostages indicted by grand jury on 12 hate crime counts.

Newsom Signs California Budget Aimed at Addressing $12 Billion Deficit

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed California budget projected to close a $12 billion deficit through spending reductions on some of the stateโ€™s ongoing programs.

Western Battery Technology Aims to Leapfrog Chinaโ€™s Mineral Dominance

Chinaโ€™s stranglehold on the battery market could be loosened with tech that substitutes hard-to-source minerals with alternatives available in the West.

Termination of โ€˜Wasteful Contractsโ€™ Saves US Government $470 Million Last Week: DOGE

Over the past seven days, various government agencies have terminated 312 โ€œwasteful contractsโ€ with a ceiling value of $2.8 billion, the DOGE said.

Trump Says He Will Only Appoint Fed Chair Who Wants to Cut Interest Rates

President Trump said he may appoint someone who is more inclined to lower interest rates to succeed Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.

Trump Says US Ending All Trade Talks With Canada

Trump posted he is ending โ€œallโ€ trade negotiations with Canada due to their plan to impose a digital services tax which affects U.S. tech companies.

White House Confirms US, China Have Reached Additional Trade Agreement

A White House official said the United States and China have reached an additional agreement as trade talks between the two nations continue.
spot_img

Related Articles