Last week, we wrote a post about tax preparation. Obviously this a crucial step in the tax filing process, but the point of the post was to remind everyone that it can be very complicated for an individual to ensure every detail has been fulfilled — and sometimes, even when that happens, the Internal Revenue Service may make a clerical error, or they may still see issues with your proper filing.
That post, just a week only, seems even more timely now that tax officials are warning that the 2015 filing season could be one of the worst in recent memory. The National Taxpayer Advocate, Nina Olson, spoke at a conference recently, and she said the 2015 filing season could rival the 1985 filing season when tax filings simply vanished.
Olson also made an ominous prediction: that half of the taxpayers who call the IRS trying to get help with their filing won’t get through to the agency. She said a 53 percent rate on phone service would far surpass the “already unacceptable” 72 percent phone service rate from the last filing season.
Much of the fear is also in response to the potential for a government shutdown, and the lack of financing and regulation that Congress has control over.
All told, what this means is that there is the potential for a very messy and frustrating tax filing season next year. When you file your taxes, double and triple check them. If you run into issues after sending in your return, you may want to consult a tax attorney to protect yourself and your rights — considering that you may not even be able to talk to the IRS by phone.
Source: RT, “IRS head warns of ‘miserable’ 2015 tax-filing season,” Nov. 6, 2014
