and the irs already knows what they are.
by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间
tax practitioners beware: the irs has become a mess of misinformation and missing information.
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it’s isn’t a complete mess, but there are problems… and solutions. we can think of six no-brainer easy fixes.
problem #1: covid may have slowed the staff at the irs, but the internal revenue computers keep rolling along. consequently, a computer initiates or continues automated collection notices and activities even though agents have yet to open the mail that makes those notices moot.
result: crossed-message confusion.
problem #2: the irs is failing to inform delinquent taxpayers that they cannot challenge an enforced collection action if they have received a notice of deficiency or had other opportunity to dispute the liability.
result: delays and wasted effort.
problem #3: low-income taxpayers are eligible for a reduce or waived installment user fee, but sometimes they are not identified as low-income, and sometimes they are correctly identified but do not receive fee reimbursements.
result: the poor don’t get the breaks the need and are entitled to.
problem #4: installment agreement user fees are reduced for taxpayers who allow direct debits from their banks, but those who need this reduction most are often people so poor they can’t afford a bank account.
result: poverty begetting poverty.
problem #5: tax liabilities known as “currently not collectible” may be entitled to cnc-hardship status, but the designation is hard to obtain, and offers in compromise are getting harder to obtain each year.
result: hardships get harder.
problem #6: low-income taxpayers are the people least likely to recover from the shock of an unexpected collection action because they are least likely to
a) have access to the internet,
b) have the assistance of a tax practitioners,
c) free time to wander the labyrinths of the irs, and
d) have a bank account that would facilitate installments.
result: taxpayers give up.
but there are solutions within reach, and the irs knows what they are.
solution #1: the irs could defer all automated collection notices and suspend actions until it’s all caught up on mail and returns. (in late january, the irs actually implemented some of this solution.)
solution #2: the irs should revise all notices that constitute an opportunity to dispute a liability to include information about rights to appeal.
solution #3: the irs should waive user fees for taxpayers who enter into direct deposit installment agreements or who have income below 250 percent of the federal poverty level.
solution #4: the irs should allow installment agreement user fees to be paid over the life of the agreement regardless of the payment method, be it banks, employer deductions, or website payments.
solution #5: the irs should create simple procedures for very low-income taxpayers to request “currently not collectable” status. the irs could also make a better effort to understand why or when a taxpayer should consider an offer in compromise.
solution #6: the irs should a) recognize that a collection action against low-income taxpayers can be a serious and enduring trauma to a family’s living conditions, and b) should facilitate communication in accordance with individual situations.
all of these solutions are feasible. they are also within the taxpayer rights mandated by congress, and all of them would make life easier for taxpayers, tax practitioners, and the irs itself.