Congress s Taxpayer Bill of Rights Safeguards in Place April used to be a time to celebrate the advent of spring, warmer weather and budding trees. Now this special time of rebirth is faced with dread as taxpayers begin their annual battle with tax forms, receipts and financial pressures. Last year the Republican Congress passed the Taxpayer Bill of Rights II to put some the spring back in our April steps. Among the 30 protections, the bill waives interest charges and penalties when the IRS is at fault and requires the IRS to file an annual report that documents misconduct by IRS employees.
Complexity is an understatement.
At over 555 million words, the tax code is filled with bureaucratic and legalistic language. In the last ten years, the IRS has made over 4,000 changes to the code. It is no wonder that individuals spend on average about twelve hours filing their taxes and small businesses about 22 hours. In fact, more time was spent last year complying with tax laws than the time spent serving our country by the entire U.S. Armed Services. A recent survey by the American Society for Quality Control found that the IRS ranked dead last in customer satisfaction among 200 companies and government agencies.