"I'm concerned that the National Taxpayer Advocate's Annual Report to Congress is becoming just a voice in the wind. Year after year we see the taxpayer advocate raise concerns about problems such as taxpayer access to IRS phone assistance, the accuracy of agency assistance and confusing notices, yet the IRS' pace of progress toward resolving these problems is at snail-speed. A recent General Accounting Office report showed the IRS failed to meet six of eight service targets for measuring access to and the accuracy of telephone service. Congress has provided the IRS the staffing and budget requests the agency has made. Clearly, the IRS needs better management of its personnel and resources, not more money and people.
"The taxpayer advocate's report provides Congress good guidance on legislative matters for the coming year. The Finance Committee should look at addressing the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT), penalties, interest and collection procedures as well as other tax simplification matters raised by the taxpayer advocate. The Finance Committee has made a good bipartisan start at simplifying the Earned Income Credit and tackling the AMT. I hope we can build on those efforts in the coming year."