68 Walk-In Offices Under IRS Budget Knife
Like many parts of the government, the Internal Revenue Service is all about balance: How to balance programs that provide taxpayer services against those that crack down on tax cheats; how to hold down costs but still bring in revenue.</br></br>On Friday, the IRS announced that it would close 68 offices, including four in Maryland and two in Virginia, where taxpayers can walk in for face-to-face help with their tax returns and questions. The plan will put 434 employees at risk of losing their jobs, including 43 in Maryland and Virginia.</br></br>"We're being asked to create efficiencies and be responsible with taxpayers' dollars," said Mark W. Everson, IRS commissioner. The office closings, he said, will have "the least impact on good service."</br></br>Colleen M. Kelley, president of the National Treasury Employees Union, offered a different view: "The result of this unwise plan will be not only a sharp reduction in customer service but also a decline in taxpayer compliance with the tax laws."</br></br>As in many years, budget pressures are helping shape IRS decisions. The agency faces a 1 percent cut in funds for taxpayer services in fiscal 2006 and also needs to find the money to cover a pay raise for its 93,000 employees, higher rents and inflation. That means the IRS has to scramble to cut costs by $130 million to $150 million.