Better taxpayer service — especially with communities with limited English — and continuing input from tax professionals are two main goals for next year of the IRS Independent Office of Appeals.
"Ensuring that taxpayers and practitioners are satisfied with the appeals process is an ongoing goal for us," said Shahid Babar, acting deputy chief of Appeals, in a statement. "The 2023 focus guide is a way to share with the public and with employees our ideas for continually improving how Appeals resolves tax disputes."
In its
- Increasing stakeholder outreach, including to historically marginalized and limited-English proficient communities;
- Improving access to in-person and video conferences and revising letters and notices to ensure taxpayers understand that it is generally their choice how to meet with Appeals;
- Leveraging technology to improve how Appeals works and manages its cases;
- Continuing the Practitioner Perspectives series in which tax practitioners share insights and feedback; and,
- Training for Appeals employees on enhancing customer engagement.
"We will keep doing all we can to promote a positive experience for taxpayers and practitioners, while building upon our past accomplishments and applying lessons we learned from the challenges posed by COVID-19," said Andy Keyso, chief of Appeals, in a statement.
This year Appeals had to address a significant increase in cases referred for settlement after the taxpayer filed a petition in the U.S. Tax Court. Many of these cases involved taxpayers without legal representation and resulted from communications challenges and difficulties in obtaining and sharing documents during the pandemic.
In April, Appeals shared
The IRS also posted its
