Tax filing season officially begins today, January 23, and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) he is optimistic that taxpayers will have a positive experience this year.
This optimism is due in large part to the $80 billion in additional funding the agency received as part of the Cut Inflation Act last year.
ABC News reported details on how the money has been used so far.
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At a news conference last week, Treasury Department Assistant Secretary Wally Adeyemo said the agency has used funds to hire more customer service staff and modernize outdated technology, some of which has been in place for decades. .
Specifically, the IRS has hired 5,000 new customer service workers to take calls. According to the ABC report, only 13% of the 173 million calls to the IRS were answered by live agents in 2022 and 8% of calls were answered with automated assistance.
The new hires give the IRS a “historic number” of employees ready to help American taxpayers.
Although Republicans on Capitol Hill have opposed the IRS funding bonus, a bipartisan group of former IRS commissioners strongly supported the measure last summer.
Fred Goldberg, who led the agency under former President George HW Bush, joined President Bill Clinton’s IRS chief, Charles Rossotti, and John Koskinen, who led the IRS under President Barack Obama in signing a statement in favor of of the legislation.
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In 2022, the IRS also released details of a five-year plan designed to improve the taxpayer experience.
in a official releasethe IRS said this plan “will serve as a roadmap to help guide the agency’s programs and operations. The plan will also help meet the changing needs of taxpayers and members of the tax community.”
What do you think? Will American taxpayers have a good tax filing experience this year?
You can also enjoy:
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– The IRS gives Californians an extra month to file taxes
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