WASHINGTON — Need help with your taxes? Good luck reaching the IRS. Three out of 10 people who call the toll-free help line this tax season won’t get through to a human being. Callers who get through will have to wait on hold an average of nearly 12 minutes, a level of service deemed unacceptable in a report issued Wednesday by National Taxpayer Advocate Nina Olson.
The IRS said it has been inundated with an unprecedented number of calls the past two years from taxpayers with questions about temporary tax breaks passed by Congress to help revive the economy — a phenomenon that is expected to continue this year. To help, the agency has upgraded its website, posting answers to frequent questions, including the status of tax refunds. The Associated Press
