The IRS has, as promised earlier this year, upgraded its website with a new look and with new features.
Image: Bloomberg News
The new website is part of the agency’s Future State Initiative, an effort to dial back in person and phone engagement with taxpayers in favor of more online interaction. IRS.gov is also designed to be more mobile friendly so users can have an easier time accessing the site from their smartphone or tablet. As of Sept. 1, however, many of the archived IRS web pages were inaccessible.
Michele Causey, director of user experience and design for the agency’s Office of Online Services, said in June that the new website would have the metadata structure to support artificial intelligence capabilities.
“We recognize that these disruptive technologies are going to be critical to our success, and while we’re not 100 percent there yet, we are working on it,” Causey said during a June 1 panel discussion at the IBM Government Analytics Forum in Washington. “We have done a first pass at doing a redesign from a look and feel perspective, and that is coupled with our branding and marketing strategy for the [IRS]. We’re looking at new iconography. We’re looking at a new organization of the site.”
Accounting Today has previously reported on portions of the population that do not have access to broadband internet, or run cash-only businesses, and need face-to-face interaction with the IRS. It is these issues that caused National Taxpayer Advocate Nina Olson to criticize Future State for ignoring many taxpayer segments. However, others, such as labor and employment attorney Richard Furlong Jr., point out that the online push is aimed at freeing up time for those who need one-on-one assistance.
Lessening in-person engagement, however, should help the agency at a time when resources are scarce. The IRS has faced slashed funding for a number of years.
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