but is it good for business or just a headache?
by rick telberg
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间
the internal revenue service appears to be making a big mistake in trying to digitize its outreach and education efforts and to outsource education to tax preparers and related organizations.
special report – fixing the irs: irs #fails at online services spell problems for professionals | tax accountants fill the breach of a failing irs | beware the ez way out | can the irs improve its phone service? | when clients face ‘unreal’ irs audits | irs warns about private debt collectors for tax season 2018 | underfunded irs swamped with problems | irs in retreat from communities | military personnel face new battles at home: the irs | as new economy surges, irs falls further behind | is the irs winning the battle against identity theft? | irs mulls raising fees to cover budget shortfalls |
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in the absence of irs assistance, tax preparers and cpa firms can expect an influx of taxpayers seeking help. this could be a boon for the industry, but it could also be a seasonal headache for tax pros who can’t bring themselves to charge for quick bits of advice.
the internet and third-party partners may seem to be more cost-effective, but they fall short of being substantively effective.
national taxpayer advocate nina e. olson warns that neither the internet nor third-party partners are up to doing the irs’s job.
“to be effective,” olson says in her 2017 annual report to congress, “outreach and education must
(1) include content addressing the taxpayers’ information needs,
(2) clearly state the message in language the target audience can understand, and
(3) use a distribution channel the target recipient can access.”
regarding taxpayers’ information needs, the tas says a physical, personal presence in communities would go far to help the irs understand local economies, cultures, and taxpayer needs. it would also put a human face on a government agency and in that way foster trust and nurture compliance.
regarding clearly stating a message to a target audience, the internet falls short because its messages are too vague to apply to individuals. a face-to-face interaction is much more likely to result in usable, understandable information.
regarding distribution channels people can access, the tas notes that 11.8 percent of low-income people, 16.1 percent of people with disabilities, and 28.7 percent of seniors never use the internet.
unfortunately, the irs has cut back on “communication & liaison” personnel, that is, people who reach out into the community to educate and help taxpayers. in 2017, there were only 105 c&l employees in the field, and they were in only 33 states and the district of columbia.
thirty-three is a lot less than 50, and 105 looks mighty puny next to 151 million individual taxpayers and 62 million small businesses.
hoping to save money, the irs has been relegating outreach and education to third-party partners, such as tax preparers and related organizations. that might be a good idea when the target audience is one that doesn’t trust the government, but for the most part, the tas says “relying on partners is not as beneficial as actually going out and talking with taxpayers, preparers, and other representatives to really understand where confusion lies, how to develop better publications and materials, and what national messages need to be modified or reinforced.”
in other words, both the internet and third-party partners distance the irs from the taxpayers it is supposed to be serving. in a system that relies on goodwill and voluntary compliance, that distancing may actually dissuade taxpayers from doing their patriotic duty. cost effective doesn’t count for much if it’s counterproductive.
tax practitioners need to be aware that their patriotic duty now includes filling in where the irs has fled. but maybe with a little professional finesse, inquiries can be converted into clientele.