The Internal Revenue Service has reported yesterday that as many as 13.5 million taxpayers will have to wait to file tax returns until computers can be reprogrammed to comply with the new law. It estimated that taxpayers cannot file forms related to the AMT until February 11, nearly a month after the usual start of the filing season.
So who does this impact? Those taxpayers who file tax schedules relating to tax credits for education, residential energy use, child- and dependent-care expenses, mortgage interest and the purchase of a first home by residents of DC will have to wait. Of those taxpayers that file returns with those forms, statistics show that 3-4 million taxpayers generally file earlier rather than later.
It was widely believed that the delays related to Congress’ painfully slow actions to fix the AMT could be in excess of a month and a half – into March. However, acting IRS Commish Linda Stiff said that IRS began reprogramming some of its computers in early December because the changes could be done on a backup basis. When the law was changed, the backups were put into immediate use.
I predict mass confusion, returned filings and surly IRS representatives. That said, can I offer a little tip? If you get agita from IRS, don’t be rude to the reps. Immediately hang up the phone and call your Congressional officials to complain – call all of them. Congress is responsible for this mess, not IRS.
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Great advice. The IRS people are just government employees trying to do their best of a sometimes thankless job. They have power to implement, but not change. As in other situations, those who are the “face” of the organization frequently bear the brunt of the complaints stemming from orders from higher-ups.
Yes, it’s a reasonable application of the “just following orders” defense which can be frustrating. However, if we don’t complain up the chain of command, matters will not improve.