{"id":54332,"date":"2018-03-05t11:41:38","date_gmt":"2018-03-05t16:41:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/48e130086c.nxcli.net\/?p=54332"},"modified":"2024-10-01t09:35:53","modified_gmt":"2024-10-01t13:35:53","slug":"training-cutbacks-irs-hurt-everybody","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/\/www.g005e.com\/2018\/03\/05\/training-cutbacks-irs-hurt-everybody\/","title":{"rendered":"training cutbacks at irs hurt everybody"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

what you get for $87 per employee.<\/strong><\/p>\n

by rick telberg<\/em>
\n卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间<\/em><\/p>\n

what could be more frustrating than calling the internal revenue service 14 times before finally getting through to an agent\u2014and then the agent tries to answer your question by reading a script that doesn\u2019t answer the question?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

special report \u2013 fixing the irs<\/strong>: irs #fails at online services spell problems for professionals<\/a> | tax accountants fill the breach of a failing irs<\/a> | beware the ez way out<\/a> | can the irs improve its phone service?<\/a> | when clients face \u2018unreal\u2019 irs audits<\/a> | irs warns about private debt collectors for tax season 2018<\/a> \u00a0| underfunded irs swamped with problems<\/a> | irs in retreat from communities<\/a> | military personnel face new battles at home: the irs<\/a> | as new economy surges, irs falls further behind<\/a> | is the irs winning the battle against identity theft?<\/a> | irs mulls raising fees to cover budget shortfalls<\/a> \u00a0|<\/p>\n

more at taxtrendlines.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\"goprocpa.com\"exclusively for pro members.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>log in here<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a02022世界杯足球排名 today<\/a>.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

taxpayer frustration with irs incompetence can serve to the advantage of tax practitioners, who by default become the only source of good information.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

on the other hand, practitioners themselves can feel frustrated\u2014or even afraid\u2014when they can\u2019t get a clear and definitive answer regarding the tax code and its myriad forms and instructions.<\/p>\n

this increasingly common experience among taxpayers and tax preparers is easily explained. it\u2019s because the irs has cut way back on training.<\/p>\n

how far back? from $1,450 per employee in 2009 to just $489 in 2017.<\/p>\n

worse, the training for employees in the wage & investment division\u2014the one that provides most of the people who answer the phones\u2014is down to just $87 per employee per year.<\/p>\n

yes, it gets worse. training has largely shifted from face-to-face instruction and discussion to a few hours of virtual training.<\/p>\n

and, yes, worse: the number of courses available to employees in key jobs has also declined.<\/p>\n

a question of rights<\/strong><\/p>\n

under the legally binding taxpayer bill of rights, taxpayers have the rights<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. a) to be informed,<\/li>\n
  2. b) to quality service, and<\/li>\n
  3. c) to a fair and just tax system.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    none of those rights are possible if irs agents can\u2019t help taxpayers interpret the unreadable, the four-million-word tax code.<\/p>\n

    the cuts in training are a result of the cuts to the irs budget, though cuts to training have been deeper than in many other areas. the overall budget has declined by 2.5 percent (in raw numbers), but training has been slashed by 75 percent. in 2017, the irs budget was down to $11 billion, of which only $39.8 million\u2014just 0.3 percent\u2014went into training.<\/p>\n

    the taxpayer advocacy service, charged with identifying problems and inefficiencies in irs service, has observed: \u201ca common concern expressed by taxpayers and practitioners alike\u2026that they are not receiving accurate advice or resolving their issues when they contact the irs.\u201d<\/p>\n

    the tas found that training was not only inadequate but uneven. employees with a certain job description in the the wages & investment division receive about 65 hours of training each. those with similar jobs in the tax exempt and government entities division receive only 19 hours. of those 19, five are on nontechnical issues such as ethics, unauthorized account access, and physical safety. only seven hours of training involved live instructors.<\/p>\n

    \u201cthe irs believes it is more appropriate to focus on the change in total training hours, including virtual training, as compared with solely in-person training,\u201d the 2017 tas annual report to congress states. \u201cwe disagree. virtual training is not as effective as in-person for many reasons.\u201d<\/p>\n

    the tas says that taxpayers need to be informed, and they need to trust whomever they contact at the irs on those rare and glorious moments when someone answers the phone. the consequences of incompetence are many and expensive.<\/p>\n