At Senate Finance Hearing, Portman Discusses the Need for the IRS to Fix Backlog

Commissioner Rettig Agrees IRS Needs Reform, Better Technology, Accountability for Taxpayers

April 7, 2022

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Press Releases

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) questioned IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig about the delay in millions of taxpayers’ tax returns. Portman highlighted the stories he has heard about small businesses unable to secure loans due to not having a processed tax return. Commissioner Rettig agreed with Portman on the need to address the processing backlog, and Portman noted his bipartisan work with Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) on IRS reform, including the Protecting Taxpayers Act, which was included in the Taxpayer First Act. Portman is currently working to authorize funding for customer service, as well as an overhaul of the Individual Masterfile and to begin revamping the Business Masterfile. In addition to the strong focus on IRS customer service, Senator Portman is working to increase the amount of funding for low-income taxpayer clinics (LITCs), create an IRS Strategic Transformation Office, deploy 2D technology on paper returns to prevent future backlogs, provide direct hiring authority to help get employees on boarded more efficiently, and ensure all IRS applications have audit trails to protect taxpayer…