As we all start to gather for the holidays, we at the Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) want to wish everyone a happy, healthy, and safe holiday season.
I look forward to continuing my work as your National Taxpayer Advocate as we get ready to welcome the new year. I am tremendously honored to be your voice at the IRS and am excited about the opportunity to reimagine how the IRS can better serve taxpayers in 2023 and beyond.
With the additional resources Congress has provided, the IRS has the capability to transform how the federal tax system works for individual taxpayers, families, and businesses across the country. As the Taxpayer Advocate, I will have a seat at the table and will use my voice to champion the kinds of changes that will protect taxpayer rights, improve taxpayer service, improve tax administration, and make the IRS work better for all of us.
As I reflect on this past year, I am so thankful for our TAS employees who have worked tirelessly to assist taxpayers in resolving their tax issues. They stepped up in so many ways – some that are never seen or recognized – and I am very proud of the work they have accomplished.
We know for each taxpayer we help, there are more in need. We will continue to work internally at TAS and in partnership with the IRS to find solutions and implement best practices that relieve the burdens on our taxpayers.
I want to wish all of you, your families, and your friends a very happy holiday!
Erin
‘Tis the season and many of us make wishes this time of the year, so I thought I would share my requests for Santa this holiday season…
Hey Santa,
My staff has informed me that you subscribe to the NTA blog. If you are reading this, I want to wish you a happy holiday and put in a request for the 2023 filing season on behalf of taxpayers and practitioners.
The past three filing seasons have been very difficult for taxpayers, practitioners, and IRS employees, and since you possess supernatural abilities – including ascending a chimney with a mere nod of your head – I thought you might be able to magically stuff the refund checks of the millions who have been waiting for them into their stockings. A very big ask, I know, but for many, there is no present that would bring more joy to this holiday season.
Now, before you head out on your long journey across the sky, I was hoping that you might also consider including a few items in your big red velvet bag to improve next year’s filing season.
Maybe you could drop some job applications from usajobs.gov into the stockings for future IRS employees who can help make taxpayer service a bit better for all (TAS and the IRS are hiring!).
Maybe you could provide a twinkle of wisdom to taxpayers and return preparers to explain the advantages of electronic filing, so their returns don’t get stuck in a processing backlog. Don’t forget, of course, to let them know that if they include their bank information for direct deposit, it will help them get their refunds even faster.
And, if I am not imposing too much, can you suggest to taxpayers that they follow your lead and check their tax return information twice or three times before filing the return to eliminate errors and potential delays with refunds? These few things will greatly improve the 2023 filing season for all.
I know these are not the typical requests you receive, but I think they are pretty important ones this year!
And now one last tiny request – maybe you could include a few thousand pieces of chocolate in my stocking to share with my wonderful TAS employees.
The views expressed in this blog are solely those of the National Taxpayer Advocate. The National Taxpayer Advocate presents an independent taxpayer perspective that does not necessarily reflect the position of the IRS, the Treasury Department, or the Office of Management and Budget.