Tax Administration: IRS Needs to Improve Distribution of Tax Materials to the Public
GGD-90-34
Published: Jan 10, 1990. Publicly Released: Jan 10, 1990.
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Highlights
Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO assessed the availability of tax materials at Internal Revenue Service (IRS) distribution centers and walk-in offices during the 1989 tax filing season.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Internal Revenue Service | IRS should make initial shipments of tax materials to walk-in sites within 48 hours of their receipt at the distribution centers. |
IRS determined that a 48-hour turnaround was economically infeasible. It decided instead to make weekly shipments, a decision that GAO does not agree with. GAO assessment of the IRS distribution program during the 1990 filing season indicated that IRS abided by its new 1-week policy and it improved the availability of tax materials.
|
| Internal Revenue Service | IRS should automatically include all required tax items in the initial shipments to each walk-in site. |
IRS did exactly as GAO recommended.
|
| Internal Revenue Service | IRS should: (1) train all walk-in site personnel responsible for tax material inventories in reordering procedures and inventory management techniques; and (2) monitor walk-in site operations to make sure the procedures and techniques are implemented. |
IRS updated its training material and emphasized the need for all responsible staff to be trained. GAO inquiries on the extent of training in 1990 indicated that the situation was much improved over the prior year.
|
| Internal Revenue Service | IRS should supplement the distribution centers' quality reviews to specifically assess performance on orders in which errors are most likely to occur. |
IRS did specific quality reviews of error-prone orders, as GAO recommended.
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Federal formsFederal taxesGovernment information disseminationGovernment publicationsIncome taxesInventory controlTax lawTax returnsTaxpayersPublications