WE NEED YOUR HELP!
Lobby99 is a nonprofit that depends on the support of our readers.
If you found this useful, could we ask you to chip in a dollar or three to help us provide even more like this? Thanks!
It's secure and takes under a minute.
Budget cuts take the "service" out of Internal Revenue Service
| 2015-Apr-15 | By: Barry Shatzman |
For most Americans, tax season is over.
If you had questions for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) or are due a refund, you're likely affected by an IRS budget that caused the agency to have 1,700 fewer employees than last year.
If you had a question for the IRS and you called them, there was less than a 50 percent chance your call was answered. Even if you did get through - often after waiting on hold for half an hour - the agent was only able to answer basic questions.
The IRS also was forced to close several field offices. Although many answers could be found at the IRS website, those without internet access had fewer options.
The budget cuts also affect enforcement. This not only benefited those with high incomes disproportionately, but it affected the government's overall financial position - since each dollar added to the agency's enforcement budget would have returned more than $4, according to the Treasury Department.
For more, read the Yahoo! News story.
Read our discussion of this issue for a clearer understanding, status updates, and suggestions on what you can do.
IRS budget cut would hurt services and reduce enforcement
| 2014-Jul-10 | By: Barry Shatzman |
Have a tax question? Been a victim of identity theft? If so, you'll find it much harder to get help from the Internal Revenue Service if the spending bill passed by the House of Representatives becomes law.
The IRS budget has been reduced every year since 2010. The result has been a reduced staff, leading to reduced customer service. The proposed funding levels would result in about half the calls made to the IRS going unanswered, IRS officials predict.
The lower funding also would limit the IRS's ability to perform audits and enforce tax laws - resulting in tens of billions of dollars in lost revenue - almost entirely from high-income earners and corporations. The Treasury Department estimates that every $1 spent on audits returns $6 in owed taxes.
The bill would have other impacts to the IRS as well. It effectively would prevent the agency from enforcing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act's individual mandate.
For more, read the Guardian.com story.
Read our discussion of this issue for a clearer understanding, status updates, and suggestions on what you can do.