first, what actions are being taken to ensure that taxpayers are able to reach a live irs assister? secondly, given your belief that the irs must deliver both enforcement and customer service, do you think that this budget request focuses too much on enforcement while sacrificing customer service. finally, does the irs consider this to be an acceptable level of service? >> thanks for bringing up a set of important issues. first, let me repeat what i told you last year and what i talked about a lot with our employers and members of congress and everyone involved in the tax system which is that it is not an either/or proposition. we need to run service operations and compliance operations to make the nation's tax system work. let me put in context the resources that we have this year to put towards both e enforcement and customer service. we had a $300 million budget cut which was $1.2 billion less than the president had requested for service and enforcement last year. we also had to absorb for rent and other kinds of increase about $200 million of inflation and $66 million was put int

for example, wait time to get through to an irs telephone assister has been around 16 minutes this year. the model of human assisters responding to taxpayers may not be sustainable given its high cost. different strategies for answering taxpayer questions sauchs on the irs web site or through paid tax preparers or tax preparation software will be needed. another opportunity is additional resources. with tight budgets, if irs's efforts to innovate don't keep up with work load growth, then the risk is that enforcement and with it voluntary compliance will go down. that could snowball. if taxpayers lose faith in the fairness of the system, they could become less willing to comply themselves. another opportunity is increasing prerefund compliance checks, doing more checks before reeveneds are issues could reduce improper payments. leveraging external resources. such resources include paid preparers, tax software companies and whistle blowers. we have made recommendations to help irs leverage all three to reduce the tax gap. modernized information systems. such systems can route phone calls

the irs is modifying its information system and you need assistance in place that can handle massive amounts of data. the irs gets billions of information returns each year. talking about a lot of information you have to match very quickly so you are not making taxpayers wait for refunds. >> certain software packages do allow people to download their w. 2s electronically. it does exist. $65 to purchase that package and some people don't want to make that expense. >> we have fought a lot about behavioral modification. the demise of refund anticipation loans. tell taxpayers you can get your dollars tomorrow and suddenly the ira's getting your money through direct deposit and electronic filing with in ten days looked like an enormously long time. and we have to think about the message and communicating with taxpayers to talk to them about the reality of a filing and they do want us to do these refund screens. the first year may be hard because you're depending on this money like you have always but if you adjust your behavior you can depend on it in the future at the same time every year

run down to the local tax prep office and pay top dollar there is free help from the irs volunteer income tax assistancer those who make less than $50,000 a year here is how it works irs certified volunteers can help you do things like look for tax credits, file your tax return most places have free e mailing as well there is a similar -- e filing as well there is a similar place for elderly tax counselling nice thing about the dc area more than 100 of these locations set up, within a 50-mile radius of downtown dc if you need help it is certainly available to you go to irs.gov and search for a center near you. >> good information for people in this region another question you mention you talked about tax credit how is it possible that you can still lower your bill at this point is that possible? >> you know, i will tell you it is really all about really researching to find those commonly overlooked tax credits for example did you know that if you live in a building or own a building built before 1936, and you do some renovation you can get a tax credit up to 10% of your renovation cost if you spent at l

the irs is also assisting in this investigation, but they are not telling us what they are investigatingthe dea, we have just learned they now carded off trash bags of unknown materials out of the school to a waiting van. and as you can see also from these live pictures, about a dozen protesters are outside. they are holding signs, demanding an end to federal crackdowns on medical marijuana. some of them even have horns that they have shouting at the agents with. they teach marijuana cultivation and other pot- related careers. they have been having some issues in the past. and now this raid just happened this morning and federal agencies, they are still on the scene. we're monitoring the situation. i'll keep you posted right here on the kron 4 newsroom. >>> another developing story out of morgan hill where the search will continue for the 15- year-old. the high school sophomore, 15 years old, vanished on march 16 as she left home and was suppose to show up at the bus stop where she walked every day. she never did show up there. and since then, police, they have positively identified her

assistance centers. there is a way that the irs could certainly run this system a lot better than it is. >> you set up the special unit is certainly at a fraction of the numbers here. if someone calls in and this person they're working with is not in, a member of my staff can see if there's anything that's been updated. there is a dedicated staff person that they're working with. that does make a huge difference than having to start over and so i don't know if that's anything that irs has looked at doing. you're not having to start over every time you call in. is that considered? >> i don't know. we don't necessarily have the resources to say this is your person. who we ought to be doing is ensure whoever gets on the phone with you has all the information in front of them and that's what we try to do. >> is that done through the case files electronically whoever helps you they're well documenting. >> that's our opportunity. our attempt is to have. this is a micro chasm of the way we're doing business on the phone generally where we can't necessarily our systems do not permit a single person. we don't beli

. >> this is about enabling the irs to provide essentially the tax breaks to small businesses and individuals to assistuiring health insurance or in the the case of small businesses providing health insurance. we should know where the supreme court stands on this by june. the irs will be ready to go in the meantime. >> you will keep us posted on that. thanks so much. have a good one. >> before you leave the house this morning it's time to check out your first degree weather update with maria molina and more on the changing conditions in the northeast. >> good to see you. we are looking at changing conditions across parts of the northeast and midwest. over the last several weeks you have been enjoying temperatures well above average and winter like conditions. we are seeing snow showers come along in up state new york vermont and specs of white showing up on the radar that is where the snow is coming down. we are not expecting any accumulation. it will be mixing in with rainfall. light shower activity. light coating possible along some of the roadways especially as you head into higher elevations. not a

assistance centers. so there is a way that the irs could run this system a lot better than it is. >> you raise an important part on whether the irs has looked at this in the past or not. especially when set up that special unit to respond to specifically is certainly at a fraction of the numbers here. but i'll equate it to my office or you know, ranking member town's office. we opened about over 4,000 new constituent cases a year as an office. and that is individuals. now, if someone calls in and the person they're working with is not in, another member of my staff can pull up their case to see if there's been anything updated in it since they last talked to the staffers but there is a dedicated staff person that they are working with. and that does make a huge difference than having to start over. and so, i don't know if that's anything that irs has looked at doing so that when you call in, that you once you make that contact, that you then have, all right, here's your case manager that you should be dealing with so you're not starting over and kind of having to reeducate every time you call in. is that s

irs. the u.s. government sues the swiss banking giant, accusing it of assisting 19,000 u.s. clients in hiding close to $20 billion. in 2009, u.s. courts forced ubs to pay a $780 million fine and release the names of more than 4,000 u.s. clients to the irs. do you think this is a real game-changer? because, i have to admit, i always assumed that people could keep money if -- if they were smart enough and rich enough, they could keep money in a swiss bank account -- maybe they could keep it in the cayman islands -- and just avoid all of this. >> and that's what, for years, folks thought. we're now working criminal investigations on those folks and civil audits on those folks. i'm just making incredible inroads in getting information from foreign governments, identifying u.s. taxpayers that think they can hide money. and my agents are out there finding that stuff, and there's nowhere where they can hide that money. >> quick: in may 2009, the irs offers a 5-month voluntary disclosure period. "come forward, and you won't face criminal charges." 15,000 americans reveal their hidden

taxpayers seeking telephone sis tense are able to speak to an irs employee and must wait an average of 17 minutes. taxpayers seeking in-person assistance also have been harmed. this is clear from the very long wait time at taxpayers' assistance centers. the budget cut also harmed agency operation. the cut forced agency to lay off thousand of employees. the majority of these employees work in enforcement. if a tax and collect revenue, this reduction duds not help tax collection or reduce deficit, it make no sense. i look forward to discussing these issues in the agency proposed budget for next year. madam chair, finally i would like to take a moment to thank floyd williams for his service and dedication to the agency and to this congress. as many of you know, floyd is the legislative affairs director of the irs. he planned to retire this summer. floyd began his government service as a congressional page under senator fulbright of arkansas many years ago. floyd, i think the senator from arkansas probably violated the child labor law. you're not that old. i have worked with floyd on this committee and i know that he will be missed. i wish

irs website. as long as the debt is less than $50,000. >> options, that's good to hear. we understand there are a number of assistance centers out in. put some on the screen now. what services can taxpayers expect? >> if you go to the irs website, there are a bunch of tabs across the top and get the drop down menu. you can choose contact my local office. that will show the offices that you're showing on the screen. and they will actually list what services they provide. generally they provide taxpayers to come in with questions, they'll show you how to fill out the form. >> great to hear. lots of great information. we appreciate you coming in. >> thank you. >> busy season it is for a lot of people. thanks so much. time now is 11:27. coming up next in the next half hour of news 4 midday, the presidential candidates are watching how the stock market is reacting today to the lower than expected jobs report from friday. how the candidates are spinning the numbers to their advantage. and then thieves are targeting unsuspecting victims. while they are away from home, how you can protect yourself from would-be burglars. plus, cooler weather

for example wait time to get through to an irs telephone has been around 60 minutes this year. the model of human assistance responding to taxpayers may not be as sustainable given its high costs. different strategies for answering taxpayer questions such as on the irs web site or through paid tax preparer sore tax preparation software will be needed. another opportunity is additional resources. with type budget the irs's the risk is that enforcement and with that voluntary compliance will go down. if taxpayers lose faith in the fairness of the system they could become less willing to comply themselves. another opportunity is increasing pre-refund compliance checks, doing more computerized checks before refunds are issued can reduce improper payment and might also limit refund fraud based on i.d. theft. leveraging external resource. such resources include paid preparers, tax fraud -- software companies and whistleblowers. it made recommendations to help irs leverage all three to reduce the tax gap. modernized information. such systems can route phonecalls to help taxpayers get the answers they need and supp

irs. deadline for statend residents to file well.s as number of local post offices late to assist with last-minute returns. we have a complete list at wjla.com. senate republicans and all the democrats to enact the buffett rule. is measure would force the earners to pay at 30% of their income on taxes. the bill is still alive, but short of 60 votes needed. president obama denounced the says he will keep congress to help the middle class. >> now to the winners of the record mega millions jackpot. the person who bought the illinois does in plan to come forward tomorrow. the other two winning tickets drawing have already been anonymously claimed. that is in maryland and kansas. in illinois, winners after claim their prize publicly. the ticket was purchased in the town of red bud. the winner will receive to a hundred $18 million. the things you could do with that. .218 million dolla and now the no. agents involved scandal in south america has grown. we are hearing rumors about a device. we are hearing rumors about a device. we want to protect the house. right. but... home security systems can be reall

the model of human assisters responding to taxpayers may not be sustainable given its high cost. different strategies for answering questions such as on the irs website or through paid tax preparerers or tax preparation software will be needed. another opportunity is additional resources f. irs's efforts don't keep up with work load growth then the risk is enforcement and with it voluntary compliance will go down. if taxpayers lose faith in the fairness of the system they could become less willing to comply themselves. another opportunity is increasing prerefund compliance checks, could reduce improper payments and might limit refund fraud based on i.d. theft. leveraging external resources. such resources include paid preparers, tax software companies and whistle-blowers. we made recommendations to help irs leverage all three to reduce the tax gap. modernized information systems that can route phone calls to help taxpayers get the answers they need and support irs's enforcement staff with timely access to data. simplifying the tax code which has been discussed. simplification can make it easier for taxpayer who is want to comply, do so and ma

. >> this is about enabling the irs to provide the -- essentially the tax breaks to small businesses and individuals to assistealth insurance or in the case of small businesses providing health insurance. >> the internal revenue service is responsible for the individual mandate. the requirement that people buy insurance which is a key aspect of the supreme court case, the irs isn't talking about how much money is being spent on that shep? >> shepard: mike emanuel on capitol hill tonight, thanks. a convicted killer in a bizarre bigamy case has escaped from lockup. he wasn't in his assigned bunk yesterday. it's actually a working cattle ranch south and west of birmingham. back in 2000 this guy pleaded guilty of killing a romantic rival. the victim was one of his wife's two other husbands. the killer dodged the death penalty by dodging against his wife for her role in that murder plot. a judge sentenced her to death. word now that two suspects have just confessed moments ago to a deadly shooting rampage in tulsa on friday. prosecutors say these two men shot five people. three of the victims died. police document

must address is the quality of assistance given to taxpayers victimized by employment or tax refund fraud. the inspector general does not paint a pretty picture of how the irs will be able to handle this problem going forward. it seems as if taxpayers will have fewer walk-in help centers with shorter business hours and longer homemade time on the phone with irs agents. budget cuts are the primary reason but i hope we can find alternate solutions to these issues. today we will also focus on the $450 billion tax gap. this tax gap equals nearly 20% of our forecasted deficit for this physical year. we simply cannot afford to look the other way and just not do anything. part of the tax gap is the result of tax cheats who simply refuse to comply with the law, which increases burdens on the rest of us, but a portion is due to taxpayers' confusion and unintentional errors as well. i am sure that we can all agree that the tax code is extremely complex. this complexity makes it hard for taxpayers who honestly want to pay their taxes to figure out what they actually owe. and as a result they can accidentally overpay or underpay. we must do more to understand the sourc

assistance numbers. so there is the way the irs concert rerun the system a lot at it than it is. >> general george companyaised an important points in whether the irs has the depth is or not. especially you set up a special unit to respond specifically and certainly at a fraction of the numbers here. but antiquated to my office are ranking member time for this. we have over 4000 new constituent cases either as an office. i'm not as individuals. now somebody calls in the person they are working with is not in, another member of my staff can pull up their case to see if there's been anything updated since i last talked to the staffers. there is dedicated staffers they are working with. and that does make a huge difference than having to start over. and so, i do not know if that's anything but the irs is the day doing so when you call in, once you make that contact, and that she then had the case manager that you should be dealing with so you're not starting over and having to reeducate every time you call him, is that something considered? >> it is considered and i don't know whether at work or not to be ho

irs taxpayer advocate nina olson talks about how her office helps taxpayers navigate their returns. this discussion on federal programs that provide direct job training and employment assistanceo low-income individuals over 65 years old. >> frankly, we owe it to our

also needed to measure how establishing benchmarks and other measures to assist the effectiveness of some of the efforts the irss engaged in the past whether something is working more isn't working. so, for example we know for affect that when they reach out to a taxpayer the initial relatively high response, that is a tax payer will either a acknowledge that he or she knows the tax off half the rate cut his tax and if the irs believes reaching out to the taxpayer, they don't have the exact numbers yet, the number of weeks or the number of days, we know that the response rate declines and so in a recent report we encourage the irs to increase the frequency which they communicate the tax payers, and the irs to my understanding has declined to do so citing the resources. but that is just one example. in complete compliance strategy the irs systems that identify the returns for examinations need improvements to qaeda i potentially noncomplying and returns. the collection activity that extends for years has a lower. of the irs has something called the que which is a database in which tax returns for people the taxe

understand this is about enabling the irs to provide that enabling the irs to provide that tax breaks to small businesses and individuals to assistring all insurance or providing health insurance. the details are better found at treasury and hhs. >> you say the u.s. continues to work with its partners to pressure north korea to halt its nuclear launch. has the president been in contact with his counterparts over the weekend and today? >> you mean the missile launch and not a nuclear launch. >> the rocket launch. >> we are in regular contact with all of our partners to have been working with the united states on this issue. i do not have any specific communications to report to you today, but we're very focused on this. it is the plan itself to conduct the missile launch is in direct violation of north korea's international violations and represents a highly provocative act. to follow through with this act would make it virtually impossible for the united states to provide the nutritional assistance we have plans to provide and that fact alone reinforces the kind of regime we're dealing with when we talk about north korea. the dec