On the recordSeptember 11, 1996
I am pleased that it is now included in this bill because when it comes to telephone assistance, the IRS customer service record is abysmal. In fact, it's an embarrassment. In fiscal year 1995, IRS assistors reportedly answered 38 percent of taxpayers' calls. In fiscal year 1996, the figure improved slightly, but still only 46 percent of taxpayers got through to IRS assistance personnel. In other words, currently, less than half of the taxpayers in need of help even get through to an IRS assistor, and that may be after trying once or trying 10 times. In terms of pure accessibility, the statistics are even more startling. During the fiscal year 1996 filing season, a mere 20 percent of taxpayers got through to an IRS assistor on their first try.
Source
govinfo.gov
