The IRS says it's not backsliding on a key reform, just improving methods for dispute resolution.
Critics are skeptical.
Problem-solving days began in 1997 after Congress pressured the IRS to deal more forthrightly with the public. About 63,000 cases have been dealt with at the events. IRS Commissioner Charles Rossotti hinted at changes last spring, telling Congress the cases at the events increasingly involved routine issues. Attendance has dropped, too. The new system, still under development, will make the best features of IRS problem-solving days available by appointment every day at agency offices, he says.