The AICPA is discussing conflicting reports about the state of the IRS with agency officials and is monitoring developments in the wake of thousands of layoffs, the president and CEO of the AICPA said Friday in a statement.
“The ability of the IRS to maintain service levels for taxpayers and their preparers is critically important to the AICPA,” said Mark Koziel, CPA, CGMA. “IRS services in combination with modernization efforts, which include technology advancements, have been the bedrock of AICPA’s recommendations for many years. A modern, functioning IRS is essential for Americans to meet their tax obligations and to our country’s financial health.”
Conflicting reports about the state of the IRS have created confusion, Koziel said.
“The AICPA continues to provide recommendations to the IRS that will offer some level of relief as we work diligently to understand the impacts to services offered to taxpayers and their practitioners,” Koziel said.
In a column published Feb. 24 in The New York Times, seven former IRS commissioners said about 6,700 probationary agency workers had been laid off in the midst of tax season, which opened Jan. 27. In addition, 4,000 to 5,000 IRS employees accepted a deferred resignation offer, said Doreen Greenwald, president of the National Treasury Employees Union.
Employees deemed critical to filing season are exempt from the federal government’s voluntary resignation program until May 15, according to an email sent to IRS employees in early February.
— To comment on this article or to suggest an idea for another article, contact Martha Waggoner at Martha.Waggoner@aicpa-cima.com.
