IRS accepts public suggestions

Rural taxpayers can get a break from e-filing requirements, taxpayer assistance centers will up their weekend hours and taxpayers might get a chance to email with IRS employees under new public suggestions accepted by the tax-collecting agency.

In all, the Taxpayer Advocacy Panel, an advisory group staffed by volunteers, forwarded on more than 100 suggestions to the IRS in its annual report, which was released Monday.

The agency at least partially accepted 30 of those proposals, saying it would allow a waiver in certain circumstances for rural taxpayers who are required to file electronically but don’t have access to high-speed Internet.

The IRS also agreed to open up its assistance centers on two Saturdays a month during filing season, and once a month on Saturdays during the off-period. And the agency said its cybersecurity staff was working on ways to safeguard employee email enough to allow correspondence with taxpayers.

The IRS also said it would remind employees that taxpayers were not barred from using speakerphone when contacting the agency, and that it would more clearly state that those calling the IRS could not request individual staffers.

The Taxpayer Advocacy Panel, a federal advisory committee enacted almost a decade ago, is made up of roughly 100 volunteers, from every state, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico.

In its annual report, the panel said it had concentrated on systemic communications issues within the IRS.

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