IRS Ignoring Taxpayers’ Phone Calls

IRS Ignoring Taxpayers’ Phone Calls, But Reducing Application Backlog for Tax Exempts: Speaking at the National Press Club on 3/31/15, IRS Commissioner John Koskinen said the IRS is ignoring more than 60% of taxpayers’ phone calls during this tax season. He indicated that the IRS’s limited budget is responsible for understaffing and pleaded for a budget increase to help staff the agency’s overwhelmed customer service lines. On a more positive note, Mr. Koskinen reported that the IRS has eliminated a huge processing backlog of groups seeking tax-exempt status.