Legislators in the United States are putting pressure on the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to explain how it plans to alleviate a backlog of tax returns that has caused a delay in the processing of refunds and to specify what steps it is doing to improve customer service.
The demands were made in a letter to the Internal Revenue Service that was obtained by Bloomberg News. The letter was signed by dozens of congressional Republicans and Democrats.
Since the pandemic began, the IRS has been experiencing a backlog of paper filings that has been running at historically high levels. The agency has stated that it plans to reduce this backlog by the end of the year.
However, the lawmakers, citing information from an IRS monitor, stated that the backlog has increased and that the agency has not been able to reach its targets for hiring new staff.
According to the letter, which was signed by 93 representatives and senators from both the House and the Senate, “The IRS must take additional steps to improve customer service issues, decrease processing delays, and work down the backlog of paper returns and correspondence by continuing to make the maximum use of overtime and surge teams.”
In addition to this, the organisation demanded “the continued suspension of automated notices and collections,” which have been essential in lowering the number of tax returns and correspondence backlogs caused by the pandemic.
Response Demanded
On the Democratic side, Senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey and Representative Abigail Spanberger of Virginia are in charge of leading the group, while on the Republican side, Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Representative Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania are in charge of leading the group.
The congressmen have requested that the Commissioner of the IRS, Chuck Rettig, respond to questions regarding the agency’s plans to reduce the backlog and hire additional employees during this week.
During the pandemic, processing centres were closed, and the Internal Revenue Service took on additional responsibilities to distribute stimulus payments and other benefits.
As a result, refund delays, long wait times to reach customer service agents, and other difficulties reached their peak during this time.
Even while Congress provided the agency with some relief, including the power to expedite employment, it has not yet recovered after more than two years have passed since the crisis.
Read more:-
- In a Signed Letter to the Justice Department, a Lawyer for Trump Asserted That There Was No Secret Material at Mar-a-logo.
- Auditing and Compliance Will Cost Billions; Taxpayer Impact
- Cdc Streamlines Covid-19 Guidance to Help the Public Better Protect Themselves and Understand Their Risk
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is on the verge of receiving an injection of extra funds as part of the Inflation Reduction Act, which has prompted the push to enhance customer service at the agency.
Over the next ten years, the agency will receive an additional $80 billion in funding as part of the bill, which President Joe Biden is expected to sign into law this week.
This funding will be used to rebuild the agency’s enforcement capabilities, hire new employees, and invest in new technology.
Officials from the IRS have stated that this will assist in reviving an agency that has been crippled by budget cuts for many years.
