Tax Administration: One Stop Service: A New Concept of Assistance For Taxpayers
Highlights
GAO discussed the Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) One Stop Service Initiative to reduce the burden on taxpayers who contact IRS for assistance. GAO noted that: (1) the initiative's long-term goal is to resolve 95 percent of all customer service inquiries through a single taxpayer contact, and its short-term goal is to improve IRS telephone service by expanding its employees' authority and providing more equipment to resolve taxpayer problems with their tax accounts; (2) IRS has already begun to try and improve its handling of taxpayer correspondence, but has not yet addressed how walk-in offices handle account inquiries; (3) in order for IRS to achieve its goal of having a fully tested nationwide system in place by September 1998, it will have to complete development of computer and telecommunications systems integral to the Tax System Modernization Program; and (4) inconsistent implementation and insufficient resources could hinder short- and long-term progress of the initiative. GAO believes that IRS needs to: (1) ensure that its new computer systems provide its employees with easy access to comprehensive taxpayer account information; and (2) provide strong leadership to coordinate the uniform implementation of One Stop Service across a decentralized organization with autonomous field offices.