WhatFinger

" . . . fewer than half of taxpayers trying to call us will actually reach us."

Koskinen to IRS staff: Our service will probably suck this year

By Dan Calabrese ——--January 15, 2015

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There's scarcely a more lovable Washington figure than stately old John Koskinen, right? That charming IRS commissioner just fills you with a warm feeling of confidence that an experienced hand is at the controls of government's most cherished agency.
What? No? He's an arrogant clod who couldn't care less about taxpayers and acts put upon when he has to answer questions posed by Congress? Oh well. At least he pulls no punches in memos to his staff about his expectation that they will deliver completely horrendous service to the taxpayers this year. You think dealing with the IRS has been bad up to this point? Just you wait:
"People who file paper tax returns could wait an extra week -- or possibly longer -- to see their refund," he wrote, adding: "Taxpayers with errors or questions on their returns that require additional manual review will also face delays." He warned that IRS customer service, which already has faced heavy criticism, could be "diminished further." Koskinen set a low bar for what taxpayers can expect. "We now anticipate an even lower level of telephone service than before, which raises the real possibility that fewer than half of taxpayers trying to call us will actually reach us. During Fiscal Year 2014, 64 percent were able to get through. Those who do reach us will face extended wait times that are unacceptable to all of us," Koskinen wrote. Further, he warned of delays to IT investments of more than $200 million, predicting this would delay "new taxpayer protections against identity theft." The IRS has faced tough congressional scrutiny over the last two years in large part over the scandal involving the targeting of conservative groups, and some lawmakers are reluctant to pour more funding into the agency.
As we cue the world's smallest violin for the poor, poor IRS in dealing with its budget cuts, here are some suggestions for how it could save money before it obliterates whatever is left of its customer service performance:
  1. They could stop harassing certain tax-exempt groups just because of their political inclinations.
  2. They could stop trying to police the speech of pastors for the purpose of revoking churches' tax-exempt status if they catch them saying something that might be perceived as political.
  3. They could stop conducting politically motivated audits.
That's just a start. No one's going to have any sympathy for the IRS when they've allowed themselves to be used as a political bludgeon by the Obama Administration and congressional Democrats. Better yet, simplify the tax code such that you don't even need the IRS. Then not only can we keep the budget cuts, but we can be spared the spectacle of listening to John Koskinen whining about it.

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Dan Calabrese——

Dan Calabrese’s column is distributed by HermanCain.com, which can be found at HermanCain

Follow all of Dan’s work, including his series of Christian spiritual warfare novels, by liking his page on Facebook.

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