If you call the Internal Revenue Service for help this tax season and actually receive help, you are one of a very few, according to a report released last week by the IRS ombudsman. The agency has a goal this year of answering only 71 percent of calls to its toll-free help line, according to an article in the Washington Post. Callers can expect to spend an average of 12 minutes on hold, the ombudsman said.

"This level of service is unacceptable," National Taxpayer Advocate Nina E. Olson said, calling it the "number one most serious problem for taxpayers." However, IRS spokeswoman Michelle Eldridge said the agency "is committed to providing the best possible service to every taxpayer," and added the agency has been dealing with a rising volume of calls. "The bottom line is we have answered millions more phone calls in the last two years than ever before."

Anyone who has ever had a question for the IRS knows how difficult it is to get an answer. And with the proliferation of social media and a pledge from President Obama to be transparent, it is incredibly frustrating that the IRS still is in the backwaters when it comes to consumer service.

It certainly seems the IRS should be on its toes these days as the Obama administration looks to the IRS for help in getting bigger collections to support its stimulus package. As tax season will be on us sooner than we think, it may be time for the IRS to ratchet up its help lines.

For more on the problems calling the IRS:
- see this Washington Post article

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