Insight into Most Serious Tax Problems from from National Taxpayer Advocate
According to National Taxpayer Advocate Nina Olson, the IRS Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) handled more than 274,000 taxpayer assistance orders in FY 2008.
The TAS was created by Congress to help taxpayers resolve their tax problems with the IRS and ensuring that taxpayer rights are protected in each case. Olson also recently addressed the authority of the National Taxpayer Advocate to help taxpayers navigate their issues through the IRS. Olson revealed that the TAS employees’ inventory is “the highest it’s ever been.”
With the current economic recession, Olson said the tax agency must consider the financial hardship facing taxpayers before it starts cracking down on delinquents.
“Taxpayers who previously were able to pay their taxes find themselves unemployed, behind on housing payments, and unable to meet their basic living expenses,” Olson wrote in the report.
Once again, tax complexity topped the annual Taxpayer Advocate list of the 20 most serious problems facing taxpayers. Check out Don’t Mess with Taxes for the full list from Olson’s 2009 Congressional report.
** If you are in trouble with the IRS, our specialized staff of attorneys, CPAs, EAs and tax professionals can help. Visit the Tax Resolution Services web site for a free tax relief consultation or call us at 866-477-7762.
More Tax Help, IRS News and Tax Relief Tips:
- We’ve Expanded to Help More Taxpayers Resolve Their IRS Tax Problems!
- IRS Announces Unprecedented Opportunity for Recession-Burdened Americans to Settle Outstanding Tax Debts
- Melt Your IRS Fears Away – Tax Help if You Can’t Afford to Pay Your 2008 Taxes
- KLOS Tax Tip #44: Individuals Get a Tax Break – But Get Tax Help if You Owe Back Taxes!
- Last Minute Advice For Recession-Burdened Taxpayers Who Can’t Afford to Pay Taxes and Want to Avoid IRS Penalties
Tags: delinquent tax returns, failing to file federal tax return, IRS audits, IRS debt, IRS enforcement, IRS problem solver, irs problems, IRS tax problems, Michael Rozbruch, national taxpayer advocate, Nina Olson, tax advice, tax attorney, tax complexity, tax expert, tax help, tax relief, tax resolution, tax resolution expert, tax resolution services, Tax Tips, Taxpayer Advocate, taxpayer advocate service, taxpayer assistance orders, unfiled tax returns
March 23rd, 2009 at 3:07 pm
Sure Ms. Olson has talked about the IRS’s shortcomings, ruffled a few feathers, and wrote some tough reports. Unfortunately, Ms. Olson has not been able to get very much accomplished in her seven years on the job other then create a high employee turnover rate. She tried to simplify the tax code by creating a standard definition of a child. When all was said and done, she only made matters worse. So much worse, the law had to be amended.
Ms. Olson also destroyed the very program in the IRS that was set up to assist taxpayers. Before Ms. Olson, if you needed help with a tax problem that was not dealt with satisfactorily through normal channels the IRS would transfer your case over to a group that had the experience in your particular issue and the authority to fix your problem on the spot. Ms. Olson has forsaken this logic. Now if you need help and your case is transferred over to her program it will most likely be assigned to someone that is not experienced or even properly trained to assist you. Moreover, even if the employee understands your situation they will not be able to fix it. They will have to turn around and request the IRS to fix it. Not only is this a poor way to assist taxpayers it also costs taxpayers more money.
The Taxpayer Advocate’s office has an important role of advocating for all taxpayers. While Ms. Olson does an adequate job of this, she does not advocate very well for the individual taxpayer who comes into her office for assistance. For that reason, her employees that work with taxpayers should be reassigned back to the IRS where they will be better trained and better able to quickly assist taxpayers in their moment of need.