SC Nebraska News

As the tax season draws to a close, many Americans are concerned about customer service at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). In the Fiscal Year 2023, 32 percent of IRS customers expressed dissatisfaction with their experience with the agency's Independent Office of Appeals. This represented an increase from Fiscal Year 2021 when only 19 percent reported dissatisfaction following the hiring of 87,000 new agents in 2022.

A congressional legislator continues to advocate efforts to hold the IRS accountable, emphasizing the importance of enhancing customer service. This legislator supported recent government funding legislation that reduced IRS funding by $20.2 billion. "The most recent government funding legislation I supported reduced this funding by another $20.2 billion. In fact, I sponsored legislation previously passed by the House to reclaim the entire $80 billion."

In March, a report by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) revealed that the IRS inappropriately diverted $4.6 million to maintain outdated technology systems. These funds were designated for systems modernization and were legally prohibited from being diverted to legacy systems.

The report emphasizes the necessity of updating IRS technology to protect Americans' personal data and enhance taxpayer service. There are allegations this misuse of tax dollars is indicative of the Biden administration's misplaced priorities, including pursuing unauthorized tax preparation services and new auditing schemes.

Another TIGTA report from March highlighted the IRS's underreporting of costs related to an unauthorized pilot program that competed with existing free tax preparation providers. "Through this program, the Biden administration sought to increase the IRS’s intrusion into the private finances of Americans to an unprecedented degree."

Concerns exist about the conflicts of interest when the IRS acts as both tax enforcer and preparer. "Too often, the IRS and the taxpaying process are clouded by an air of suspicion." The legislator leads a bill to eliminate the Direct File program, believing policy should aim to modernize IRS systems and improve customer service rather than creating redundancies.

The IRS Free File program, which allows taxpayers to file their taxes at no cost through private partners, is promoted as a cost-effective solution. "More than 70 percent of American tax filers qualify to use Free File. I encourage you to visit irs.gov/FreeFile to confirm your eligibility and learn more."

Ultimately, the goal is to ensure taxpayers, particularly law-abiding middle-class citizens and small businesses, do not fear unnecessary audits. "Free File fills a need for taxpayers in an efficient, cost-effective way—just the sort of thing we should be doing more of in Washington."