IRS cuts close to 7,000 jobs during the middle of tax season
Tax filing season is upon us and some people are worried it might take longer to get their refunds. Amid widespread cuts and firings of federal workers. The president now faces backlash, close to 7,000 IRS workers were laid off yesterday.
The cuts are mainly aimed at probationary workers. Many of them are part of a Biden administration effort to ramp up audit rates of wealthy taxpayers and large corporations.
Processing centers are understaffed, affecting the process of paper returns, which normally takes six to eight weeks.
Customer lines are also expected to have longer wait times, and a local tax expert has recommendations on how to prepare. “Have all your documents, I see people who are eager to file and maybe they don't wait for a certain W-2 or 1099. And those types of things can cause delays,” said Lupe Valdivia, owner of West Coast Tax Services.”
Many taxpayers could cause processing delays as a result of the cuts.
