TAP 506-027

Forms & Publications Employee Background

Issue Statement:

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) forms and publications are written in a manner that is confusing and not easily understood.  Taxpayers spend numerous hours trying to interpret “IRS” language.  IRS personnel charged with the writing of forms and publications do not have educational backgrounds in the areas of English and Journalism.

Goal Statement:

To increase taxpayer understanding of IRS forms and publications, and thereby, increase compliance.

Proposal:

• Employ persons specifically trained to communicate via the written word such as English or Journalism majors.  Increase the pool of potential candidates by posting positions across the country.
• Use frontline customer service employees as focus groups during the revision process.  In addition, implement call-site data collection to help determine areas of taxpayer confusion and misunderstanding.
• Continue to promote adherence to the internally developed IRS Style Guide.  In the final review process, place increased emphasis on readability and comprehension in conjunction with technical accuracy.