The National Association of Enrolled Agents, an organization that represents 55,000 federally-licensed tax professionals has been invited to testify at a U.S. Senate hearing focused on IRS reform this Thursday, July 26, 2018 at 10:30 a.m. The event will be live streamed on the Senate Finance Committee website.
Ms. Phyllis Jo Kubey, EA, of New York will deliver oral testimony on NAEA’s behalf, sharing what the organization believes to be specific changes to IRS governance, management, personnel, and budget that are needed to improve service to all who interact with the agency.
Thursday’s hearing follows the introduction last week of the Taxpayer First Act (S. 3246), a bipartisan piece of legislation introduced by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.). The provisions of the bill would increase taxpayer rights protections, enhance whistleblower protections, change laws governing IRS employees and audit criteria, assist in the prevention of theft and tax refund fraud, and increase electronic filing. Senators Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Ben Cardin (D-Md.) intend to introduce in the near future a companion bill to S. 3246, incorporating many concepts from the NAEA IRS Reform white paper published earlier this year.
“IRS reform must be predicated on a shift toward a stronger customer-service orientation,” said NAEA Executive Vice President Robert Kerr, EA. “IRS needs the right staff, trained every year, with the right service culture to carry out its mission. In addition to cultural changes, IRS must be provided appropriate funding and oversight as well as authority to set minimum standards for return preparers.”
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