An official website of the U.S. GovtNational Taxpayer Advocate Nina E. Olson testified before the House Subcommittee on Health Care, Benefits, and Administrative Rules and Subcommittee on Government Operations Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on Oversight today at a hearing entitled, “Continued Oversight Over the Internal Revenue Service.”
The following is an excerpt from her written testimony:
Throughout my tenure as the National Taxpayer Advocate, TAS has completed significant research into taxpayer needs, preferences, and ability to interact with the IRS through various service channels. Our work has focused not only on understanding the taxpayer service needs and preferences of U.S. taxpayers, but also on how IRS traditional audit, compliance, and collection techniques affect taxpayers’ understanding of the tax law, their relationship and attitudes to the tax administrator, and their subsequent compliance behavior. In addition to our research studies, surveys and focus groups, in 2016 I travelled the breadth and depth of the US and convened 12 Public Forums on Taxpayer Needs and Preferences, in conjunction with Members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate, including Chairman Meadows. The complete transcripts of these fascinating public meetings are available on our website. I have also convened two International Conferences on Taxpayer Rights, with the third one coming up in Amsterdam in May of this year. Our body of work is designed to help the IRS improve tax administration and better meet taxpayer needs and preferences; it also enables us to identify emerging issues of concern.
