The Nation - News from Nov. 22, 1988

In some areas of the country, the people who process federal tax returns are paid less than those who make hamburgers, congressional auditors said. The problem of low salaries was one of several cited by the General Accounting Office in a report on how the IRS might improve the tax-collection process. The report was one of a series by GAO, an arm of Congress, on major problems to be faced by the new President and new Congress. If the issues are not addressed, the IRS can expect serious problems in processing tax returns, a decline in taxpayer confidence in the tax system and a loss in tax revenues, GAO boss Charles A. Bowsher wrote.