TSCPA Supports Practitioner Services Division at IRS
TSCPA members recently met with members of Congress to ask them to support consolidating existing IRS units into a Practitioner Services Division so that taxpayer issues are resolved more efficiently. Our members shared how tax practitioners now rely on many different IRS programs, processes and tools situated throughout the organization to resolve clients’ tax issues. They also discussed how the operating systems for these programs do not easily communicate with each other and do not have access to the same taxpayer information.
The Taxpayer First Act of 2019 has been signed by the president and will soon be implemented. That bill contains many provisions that help improve IRS operations and services to taxpayers, but the bill does not include the formation of a Practitioner Services Division. AICPA efforts on Capitol Hill to encourage the administrative creation of the Practitioners Services Division has raised awareness and we will work to keep the effort moving. State CPA societies are now working to encourage Congress to take further action and support the creation of the Practitioner Services Division through administrative means.
The development of this division is a key component of the ongoing modernization of the IRS and can provide practitioners with the ability to help taxpayers more easily navigate the complexities of the U.S. tax code. As the IRS begins to move into a new era of modernizing its practices, policies and systems, we believe that tax professionals should have the tools to aid taxpayers in successfully adhering to the updated tax code. While this bill generally moves the IRS in the right direction, there’s more to be done, and TSCPA and AICPA will continue to advocate for tax preparers and IRS efficiency.