Wyden Response to GAO Report Highlighting Deteriorating Taxpayer Support from IRS

WASHINGTON - Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., issued a statement today in response to a new GAO report detailing how Internal Revenue Service (IRS) taxpayer services are deteriorating over prior years, coinciding with a 10 percent reduction in IRS annual appropriations and new resource allocation demands to meet changing statutory responsibilities.

“Honest taxpayers lose when Congress asks the IRS to do more with less,” Wyden said. “As we head into a new filing season, working families have enough headaches to deal with just trying to navigate our complex tax system and file their returns correctly and on time. They shouldn’t also be left hanging on the line as the IRS shifts decreasing resources and attention away from critical taxpayer support to deal with changing mandates from Congress. Effectively serving taxpayers is priority one. The IRS needs to outline a clear strategy to get this done and be in a position to deliver, and Congress needs to provide the resources for the IRS to meet the needs of our taxpayers.”

The GAO report “2015 Tax Filing Season:  Deteriorating Taxpayer Service Underscores Need for a Comprehensive Strategy and Process Efficiencies” can be found here. 

###

• Print
• Email
• Tweet