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Faster taxpayer appeals; IRS
seeks small-business help;
and agency looks at ways to speed up e-filing
By Kay
Bell • Bankrate.com
Got a problem with the Internal Revenue Service?
Getting it resolved should be quicker now with the agency's redesigned
appeals group.
The Appeals Division joins several other IRS
operations in shifting to a customer-specific organization. With
this restructuring, ordered by Congress in 1998, the agency hopes
to focus on the specialized needs of taxpayer groups. Appeals now
has three operating units:
- Wage and Investment, the group that will
handle individual taxpayer concerns;
- Small Business/Self Employed and Tax Exempt/Government
Entities; and
- Large & Mid-Size Businesses.
A new, flatter structure also will put tax leadership
closer to taxpayers. This, the IRS says, should improve responsiveness
by reducing the time it takes to get answers from the division's
decision makers. Quicker tax dispute decisions, tax officials say,
will help the Appeals Division meet its primary goal of resolving
taxpayer controversies before they escalate to tax court battles.
In addition to the new customer-based groups,
the Appeals Division also is implementing streamlined mediation
and arbitration programs, as well as an early-referral procedure
that will allow taxpayers whose returns are being examined to move
the process up the IRS chain more quickly.
For questions about the appeals process in general,
taxpayers can call the IRS toll-free at (877) 457-5055 or check
out the appeals
section of the IRS Web site.
Taxpayer
champion wants small-business help
The IRS office charged with looking out for taxpayer interests
wants small-business owners' help in detailing ways to improve the
tax system.
National
Taxpayer Advocate Val Oveson has asked the Small
Business Survival Committee to poll its membership on taxpayer
issues for his annual report to Congress next year. The committee
is a national small-business advocacy organization based in Washington,
D.C.
Oveson is looking for help in identifying, ranking
and solving the 20 top tax problems facing small business. A survey
has been designed based on last year's list of taxpayer problems.
Topping the 1999 complaints were concerns about tax complexity,
compliance burdens and lack of customer service.
But small businessmen and women aren't limited
to re-arranging previous problems. The survey also welcomes write-in
votes for new difficulties business taxpayers have encountered.
Sept. 11 is the deadline to tell Oveson what
tax law changes he should recommend to Congress. The survey can
be e-mailed
or printed and faxed to (202) 785-0238 or mailed to the Small Business
Survival Committee, 1920 L Street NW, Suite 200, Washington, D.C.
20036
IRS
looks to speed up e-filing
More Americans than ever filed their taxes electronically this
year. The Internal Revenue Service wants to better that record next
April and believes making the process faster is one way to do just
that.
The agency's Electronic Tax Administration
is exploring the feasibility of eliminating modem speeds
slower than 28.8 Kbps for e-filing. IRS e-filing partners are being
asked to let the agency know the minimum modem speed they
now use and the minimum speed the businesses could support. Tax
professionals should send written comments by Sept. 3 to Dapheny
McCray, Program Analyst, Internal Revenue Service, Electronic Tax
Administration, OP:ETA:I:I, 5000, Ellin Road, Room C4-188, Lanham,
MD 20706.
Preparers also can call (202) 283-0685 (not
a toll-free number) or e-mail McCray.
-- Posted Aug. 21, 2000
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