Navigating your taxes can induce anxiety, but can the IRS make it less stressful for taxpayers?

With more than 150 million individual taxpayers and over 10 million business entities paying taxes every year, it can become stressful trying to understand your rights as a taxpayer, and sometimes make you wonder if the IRS is even on your side. That’s why, in 1996, the Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) was put in place in order to not only help taxpayers with their individual tax issues, but to also recommend systematic changes to the IRS or tax laws. The TAS works in two ways; first, to ensure that every taxpayer is treated fairly and that they know and understand their rights, and second, to make sure taxpayers have the support and advocacy they need to make the process as painless as possible.

On a taxpayer level, the TAS assists those who are experiencing economic harm.  They focus on searching for ways to resolve any tax issues that taxpayers were unable to resolve directly with the IRS. The TAS also assists taxpayers who have dealt with delays of more than 30 days and have not been able to come to a resolution regarding their tax issue.  They can also assist taxpayers who have not received a response by the date that was promised by the IRS.

The TAS was put into place to identify specific, current issues taxpayers are having with the IRS. They use this information to see if any changes need to be made to the current practices the IRS is utilizing and investigate any potential legislative changes that could solve the problem at hand. This service emphasizes to taxpayers that they have the right to expect that the tax system will consider all aspects of their case and provide information that could potentially help prevent them from paying more to the IRS than they should, or avoid owing a tax liability in the future.

It is important to know your rights as a taxpayer, so it is imperative to know that programs such as the TAS have been implemented to ensure that a taxpayer’s rights are protected, and that they receive fair treatment from the IRS. Transparency is key when it comes to Americans being able to resolve an issue they may have with the IRS, which is why TAS was put into place to ensure that every taxpayer has clear, comprehensible, and accessible methods to their case with the IRS. Although programs have been administered to assist with any tax issue a taxpayer may have, it can be difficult to deal with the IRS on your own. If you need assistance getting compliant with the IRS, tax resolution companies like Optima Tax Relief are there to fill that support gap and de-stress the experience.

 

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