Executive Director Kelly Reyes of the Professional Managers Association (PMA)–formed in 1981 by Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Managers as a national membership association representing the interests of professional managers, management officials and non-bargaining unit employees in the federal government and within the IRS–released the following statement regarding the start of the 2024 tax filing season: “As we begin the 2024 filing season, IRS employees are energized and prepared for another successful season. While the tax season starts today, IRS employees have been working diligently for months to ensure its success. For over a decade, IRS employees began the filing season with insufficient funding, insufficient staff, and outdated technology. This was deeply damaging to morale and resulted in frustration for employees and taxpayers alike. But last year, the IRS saw the most successful season in recent years due in large part to investments made through the Inflation Reduction Act. While IRS modernization initiatives still have a long way to go, we are already seeing improvements that will undoubtedly lead to better taxpayer experiences this year as well,” Reyes began.
Reyes continued, “We encourage Congress to recognize that the continued success of IRS operations relies on adequate investment and attention. Last year, the IRS was able to hire hundreds of new Taxpayer Assistance Center (TAC) employees and, as a result, opened or reopened 17 new TACs. The IRS was also able to host Taxpayer Experience Days in more than 100 TAC locations and scanned 80 times more returns in one quarter of 2023 compared to all of 2022. In order to make these advancements permanent, Congress cannot continue to reduce its investment in the IRS, such reductions will only decrease taxpayer experiences and federal revenues.”
“As a reminder, we encourage taxpayers to wait to file until all relevant and accurate tax documents are in your possession to avoid confusion and delay. Additionally, we urge taxpayers to file electronically and request direct deposit to expedite the refund process. We appreciate your patience as the IRS works to rebuild its capacity and we look forward to a successful filing season,” Reyes concluded.
