The Internal Revenue Services has suspended plans to close
68 of 400 taxpayer assistance centers pending further study.
Both the House and Senate versions of the fiscal 2006
Treasury-Transportation Appropriations bill included
provisions that would have prevented the IRS from closing
the centers until the Treasury Inspector General for Tax
Administration could assess and report on the likely impact.
President of the National Treasury Employees Union, Colleen
M. Kelley, called the decision a “huge victory,” and said
that it “serves well the very large number of taxpayers
who will continue to have available the in-person assistance
of IRS employees.”
The union represents thousands of IRS employees and said
hundreds of its members had participated in rallies and
press conferences around the country to argue that the
closures would have a negative impact on cities, towns
and regions.
The IRS says it has made significant progress in service
to taxpayers through phone services and online.
“We want to create efficiencies where they’d have the
least impact on service. Nonetheless, I appreciate the
concerns raised by Congress about our walk-in centers,
and have put these closures on hold,” said IRS
Commissioner Mark W. Everson.
“I appreciate the actions the Congress has taken thus far
in securing more resources for the IRS, and particularly
that the Senate Appropriations Committee has fully funded
the President’s request,” he added.
The Senate committee approved the full $10.68 billion
requested by the White House. The House approved $10.24
billion, which is what the IRS got this year.
