NATION : IRS Sharpens Its Phone Answers

The commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service said today the agency has beefed up personnel in a major effort to ensure that taxpayers receive the right answers when they call the IRS.

One of every four answers from the IRS were wrong last year, Commissioner Lawrence B. Gibbs acknowledged, “and we’ve gone back to the drawing board . . . to try to improve accuracy levels.” The IRS has increased the number of supervisors to oversee employees who answer technical questions by phone, Gibbs said. In addition about 1,000 temporary telephone “assisters” were put on the permanent payroll, which has allowed the IRS to enhance their training, he said.