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Tax Administration: One Stop Service: A New Concept of Assistance For Taxpayers

T-GGD-92-33 Published: Apr 28, 1992. Publicly Released: Apr 28, 1992.
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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.

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Customer serviceEmployee trainingFederal employeesManagement information systemsTax administrationTax administration systemsTaxpayersTelecommunicationsTelecommunications systemsTelephonesWritten communication