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Senators say it's time to give the tax man an audit
February 7, 1997Web posted at: 8:00 p.m. EST
From Correspondent Candy Crowley
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Has the IRS run amok?
The Senate Finance Committee is trying to find out, and it has asked for $300,000 to investigate what it has called recurring complaints of taxpayer abuse by the agency.
It's tough to compile hard evidence that tax collectors are overstepping their bounds, but anecdotal evidence is easy to find.
Consider Monsignor Lawrence Ballweg, a Catholic priest who received a notice from the IRS saying he owes nearly $19,000.
The dispute stems from the monsignor's mother's estate. When she died in 1988, earnings from the trust of her estate, at her bequest, went to support Catholic missions, making her estate's earnings tax free.
Last year, Ballweg didn't use the proper IRS form to report trust transactions, setting off six months of mistakes, mishaps and misunderstandings that remain enmeshed in red tape and hard feelings.
"They are not concerned," said Ballweg. "They are going to keep pushing me and pushing me and not cooperate with me."
There are no reliable figures on how many people feel abused by the IRS -- and how many just don't like tax law. But the chairman of the Senate finance committee says ever since he said he wanted to investigate, his office has been swamped with calls.
"Collecting revenue is not a popular pastime," said Republican Sen. Bill Roth of Delaware.
(238K/21 sec. AIFF or WAV sound)
Give the IRS credit for trying to become less hostile -- under a new law district offices have taxpayer advocates.
"We have just initiated a relatively new process where we are beginning to make these complaints," said Lee Monks, IRS taxpayer advocate. "We feel very seriously about this issue. We feel taxpayers need to be treated with respect, and we want to deal with their issues."
The IRS said it welcomes the Senate's oversight, but some staffers think taxpayer problems have less to do with the attitude of their agency, than an overly complex tax code.
"I don't have the slightest idea what is going to happen next," said Ballweg. (136K/12 sec. AIFF or WAV sound)
Related stories:
- IRS under fire - February 3, 1997
- IRS computer woes endless - January 31, 1997
- Washington says 'IRS: audit thyself' - September 10, 1996
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