Crapo: 2022 tax filing season: A frustrating mess

As Idahoans file their annual tax returns, the 2022 tax filing season grows more troubled. Currently, millions of Americans must file their tax returns, despite not having their last year’s tax returns even processed by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) or the ability to reach the agency for help. The IRS must use its existing authorities to immediately provide targeted, temporary relief to taxpayers and reduce backlogs.

The Senate Finance Committee, on which I serve as Ranking Member, is holding hearings about what needs to be done in order to process returns accurately and efficiently, and get refunds to taxpayers. In 2021, just over one in ten Americans were able to reach the IRS by telephone, while more than 250 million calls to the IRS went unanswered. Those who managed to get through spent more than 23 minutes on hold. The IRS began this year’s tax filing season with a backlog of at least 18 million unprocessed tax returns and correspondence. As of this writing, the backlog is now 23 million.

There are other areas of deep concern, as many Americans await last year’s tax refunds and responses to correspondence they sent the IRS, often many months ago. Alarmingly, many Americans have been subject to adverse IRS actions simply because the IRS has not opened and read its mail. Others are receiving letters from the IRS with inaccurate information. These problems are not proximately caused by lack of funding, as some argue.