Several members of Congress have urged the IRS to address the significant backlog of unprocessed tax returns and severe lack of customer service. In an August 10 letter spearheaded by Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colo., lawmakers, while acknowledging pandemic-related constraints, criticized the IRS for not taking necessary steps to remedy the ongoing issues.
“Rather than take steps to expedite processing times by returning more employees to in-person work or making more telephone agents available to taxpayers, the IRS instead simply encourages taxpayers to be patient and wait,” the lawmakers wrote. “However, it is critical that these backlogs are processed because most taxpayers overpay on their taxes through wage withholding or estimated tax payments and are entitle to receive refunds when they file their returns.”
This letter comes on the heels of a tumultuous 2021 tax filing season and numerous tax practitioner complaints brought directly to the IRS by NSA through its advocacy of members’ professional needs.