Washington (Sept. 17, 2002) -- The Internal Revenue Service Oversight Board has called on the IRS to improve its service to taxpayers.
The Board released a report which focuses on improving operations at the Office of Taxpayer Advocate. OTA, created under the IRS Restructuring and Reform Act of 1998, was charged to improve taxpayer treatment, and operates to resolve both common and individual taxpayer problems.
In its report, the Board found that some existing IRS operations cause significant problems, resulting in more hardship for taxpayers. The Board called on the IRS to resolve individual taxpayer problems more quickly, and to make resolving problems a measure of progress in evaluating IRS and senior executives' performance.
In addition, the Board said, the IRS should emphasize efforts within both the OTA and the IRS to balance and strengthen their own taxpayer advocacy efforts, and provide effective training for those associated with resolving taxpayers' problems.
-- Electronic Accountant Newswire staff
