National Treasury Employees Union President Colleen M.
Kelley said more frontline IRS employees are needed in both
compliance and enforcement to close the tax gap.
“Rather than move forward with its plans to drastically
cut customer service in order to expand its enforcement
role, the IRS needs to strike a balance between offering
adequate opportunities for taxpayers to voluntarily comply
and enforcing the tax code,” Kelley said.
The union pushed hard for language approved as part of both
the House and Senate versions of the 2006
Transportation-Treasury appropriations bill preventing the
IRS from moving forward with its plan to close taxpayer
assistance centers until the Treasury IG studies the impact
on taxpayers.
Kelley also called on Congress to approve legislation,
HR-1621, which would repeal the agency’s authority to use
private debt collectors. Introduced by Congressman Rob
Simmons, R-Conn., and Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., the bill
has 65 co-sponsors in the House.
“Privatizing tax collection is the wrong approach for the
IRS and is not the most efficient or effective way to
decrease the tax gap or increase taxpayer satisfaction,”
Kelley argued, saying IRS employees are in the best position
to do so.
