NSA Executive Vice President Discusses IRS Budget and Tax Reform Changes on Federal News Radio
NSA Executive Vice President John will discuss the Administration’s proposed IRS budget in a segment on Federal News Radio. The interview, which was taped yesterday, will be broadcast next week.
In the discussion, Ams also pointed out that the IRS is still forecasting it will only be able to answer 60% of filing season phone calls but that the proposed budget would cut another $108.7 million, or 4.6%, from Taxpayer Services, with the likely result that the touted benefits of the tax reform law will not be realized until taxpayers and tax professionals are able to get answers to the many questions they have about tax changes that may or may not result from reform.
Ams also noted that the proposed IRS budget is essentially unchanged from the current budget but decreases the proposed amount for IRS computer upgrades by $177 million, from $287 million to $110 million. At the same time, the Treasury is separately asking for some $291 million to update computer technology to implement the tax reform bill. Why decrease the IT budget in one area while increasing it – for the same purpose – in another area?
Finally, Ams again pointed out that small businesses need guidance about the tax changes related to passthrough entities but that such guidance is likely to come well after the March 15 deadline for making entity elections, which is obviously unfair and counterproductive.
We will keep members updated with more information on the radio broadcast.