Acting National Taxpayer Advocate Bridget Roberts talks taxes with Federal News Radio host Tom Temin. Roberts discusses IRS challenges and top issues impacting taxpayers.

“Everyday we are working to partner more and more with the IRS to try and come up with new and innovative ways to look at issues and solve problems before they impact taxpayers,” says Roberts.

The number one issue she shares on the podcast is IRS Customer Service and its struggle to meet its mission of providing top quality service. Roberts also summarizes the top recommended legislative and operational changes which supports efforts to improve the IRS, as proposed in the 2019 Annual Report to Congress. Other tax issues the Acting National Taxpayer Advocate highlights in this podcast include the Taxpayer First act, aging IRS technology, lack of IRS funding and overall improvement of taxpayer’s experience when dealing with the IRS.

“…even aside from the technology and funding, there needs to be a cultural shift within the IRS about how we approach our taxpayers and who we hire and how we train them and how do we respond to taxpayers when they are trying to get in touch with us and reach out and ask for help,” Robert says.

Listen to the Federal Drive podcast session for the full interview: https://federalnewsnetwork.com/fral-drive/2020/01/acting-national-taxpayer-advocate-outlines-irs-challenges-to-congress.

Source: taxpayeradvocate.irs.gov