The Internal Revenue Service will survey nearly 50,000 taxpayers this month to help the agency improve the way it provides taxpayer services.
The Opinion Survey of Taxpayer Resources and Services will be sent to 40,000 taxpayers as part of the Taxpayer Assistance Blueprint, a multi-year effort by the IRS to review its customer service operations and form plans for improvements. Another survey of 10,000 taxpayers will help the IRS determine the effectiveness of its forms and publications.
"We strive to provide efficient and effective taxpayer services within available resources," said IRS Commissioner Mark W. Everson, in a statement. "[This effort] will provide a solid foundation on which to base decisions about our taxpayer services portfolio."
Taxpayers chosen at random will be asked 25 questions about how they use IRS services and how they would like to use IRS services. An IRS-approved contractor will mail the questionnaire to the taxpayers and the survey will not ask taxpayers for any financial or personal information. Responses will remain confidential.
At the same time, the agency's Media & Publications division will survey approximately 10,000 individual and business taxpayers, tax preparers and community-based partners to obtain their perspective on the content, usefulness, format, graphics and delivery of IRS forms and publications. Customers will have the option of taking the survey by telephone or online.
The IRS, the National Taxpayer Advocate and the IRS Oversight Board are collaborating on the TAB Project.
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