National Taxpayer Advocate’s Mid-Year Report

National Taxpayer Advocate Nina Olson’s mid-year report lays out the issues that she plans to address during the fiscal year ending September 30, 2019 (https://taxpayeradvocate.irs.gov/reports/fy-2019-objectives-report-to-congress/full-report). She also examines the responses from Congress and the IRS to the recommendations she made in her 2017 annual report.

The report lays out 12 priority issues. They primarily center on the IRS providing better service to taxpayers and implementing the changes from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Here are the top five priorities:

1. More guidance and service for taxpayers to understand and comply with the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act
2. Creation of an omnichannel service environment so taxpayers can get assistance through the channels that best meet their needs and preferences
3. Creation by the IRS of an overarching information technology strategy with proper multi-year funding
4. Better fraud detection and identity theft filters that avoid burdening legitimate taxpayers
5. Keep the private debt collection program (which has yet to generate net revenues) from burdening those experiencing economic hardship