Taxes

IRS ignoring 60% of calls as tax deadline looms

Andrew Harrer | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Taxpayers with questions ahead of the looming deadline may not find help on the IRS phone lines.

Swamped customer service representatives are currently ignoring more than 60 percent of calls to the agency, IRS Commissioner John Koskinen said on Tuesday, according to The Washington Times. The struggles come as Americans try to meet the April 15 tax filing deadline.

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Koskinen lobbied for more money to help staff the agency while speaking at the National Press Club. Budget and personnel cuts have hit the IRS in recent years, and Koskinen estimated that the U.S. government would be able to collect $2 billion more this year with more compliance employees, The Washington Times reported.

Read the full Washington Times report here.