Karla Pierce, secretary of the Kansas Department of Revenue, says her department is moving forward despite all the red flags to the contrary. The disclosure came amid previous complaints of poor customer service and slow tax refund payments. Taxpayers are sometimes patient enough to forgive an error here or there, but not when there seems to be no end in sight. Pierce has blamed many of the previous problems on computer glitches, but more recently, human error and a review system that didn't work were at fault. She said Kansans may still see more errors.
Errors are one thing, but performance is quite another.
Kansans are losing confidence in the state's head bookkeeper and her department. Some new technology in the department is enabling some lawmakers to give Pierce the benefit of the doubt. A new telephone system has apparently decreased callers' waiting time and improved customer service. The department has also processed significantly more individual income tax returns this year compared to last year, however such comparison mean little if the base year was below par. In this case, faster income tax processing isn't beneficial if it is wrong.