Accounting
Taxpayer Advocate acknowledges shortcomings, plans improvements in TAS
National Taxpayer Advocate Erin Collins issued a mea culpa admitting to the findings of a recent report faulting the Taxpayer Advocate Service that she runs for slow responsiveness to taxpayers.
In a
Collins wrote that the problem with the local phone lines was limited in scope because most calls are placed to TAS’s national toll-free number, and TAS immediately took corrective actions to address TIGTA’s findings.
But she acknowledged a larger issue in the findings. “Although TAS ultimately serves most taxpayers well, we are not starting to work cases and we are not returning telephone calls as quickly as we would like<‘ Collins wrote. “Part of my job is to highlight areas where the IRS is not meeting expectations, so it’s only fair that I be transparent in acknowledging where TAS is falling short.”
She added that TAS is taking actions to improve its level of service to taxpayers, including new technology, as well as hiring and training more personnel. TAS’s workload has grown in recent years and Collins said she hears about the problems when she speaks to practitioners. However, she insisted that TAS resolves the majority of taxpayer problems satisfactorily and she pointed to surveys of thousands of customers, 81% of whom reported they were satisfied overall, compared to 15% who aren’t satisfied.
But she has been receiving negative feedback, at least from tax professionals.
“Having said that, I regularly speak to groups of practitioners and hear more complaints than I would like of unreturned phone calls, delays in providing updates, and delays in resolving cases,” Collins wrote. “In a nutshell, TAS faces three core challenges in case advocacy:
- We are receiving more cases;
- We have recently hired a considerable number of new case advocates who require training before they can effectively assist taxpayers; and
- We are using a functionally limited case management system that is more than two decades old and causes inefficiencies and delays.”
In terms of caseload, she pointed out that TAS has received about 18 percent more cases in fiscal year 2024 than the previous two fiscal years, when it received around 220,000 cases, and TAS case advocates are carrying active inventories of over 100 cases at a time.
In response, TAS has been hiring more new case advocates and improving its case management system, leveraging additional funding from Congress. However, Collins pointed out that it takes months, even years, to train these new hires as they will work on cases involving a wide array of procedural and technical issues, including tax return processing, identity theft, audits, collection matters and appeals.
Approximately 30% of TAS’s case advocates have less than a year of experience, and around 50% have less than two years of experience.
“That means nearly one-third of our case advocate workforce is still receiving training and working limited caseloads or have no caseloads yet, and half are likely to require extra support for complex cases,” Collins wrote. “TAS has never had a year when so many case advocates were new. To compound the challenges, we have to temporarily reassign experienced case advocates to provide training and supervision for the new hires, further straining our resources to work current cases.”
In response, TAS is looking at improving its training processes, for example, by training new hires on the highest volume issues first, so they can start working on those cases faster, while continuing to receive comprehensive training so they can become effective all-around advocates over time.
Like much of the IRS, TAS is also relying on outdated technology, which is finally being upgraded thanks to recent funding boosts. The current case management system, known as the Taxpayer Advocate Management Information System, or TAMIS, is over 20 years old and lacks the kinds of features common in more modern case management systems. That means TAS case advocates need to spend extra time doing work that could be partially or fully automated.
In response, TAS is developing a new customer relationship management system, called “Phoenix,” that it plans to deploy next year. In designing and building the system, TAS is getting feedback from case advocates who use TAMIS to help identify areas where the technology can automate tasks and otherwise improve efficiencies. “The improvements in efficiency will be significant because we will be better able to understand, see and prioritize work across our workforce from both an employee and a management perspective,” said Collins.
The new system will have the flexibility for continuous improvement. Like the IRS’s
“We know our taxpayers want more secure digital communication options and faster service,” Collins wrote. “We envision providing more real-time information and updates using system capabilities, while also allowing our case advocates to spend more of their time on case resolution. The data security concerns of allowing direct access to a portal are significant, so this functionality is probably several years away. But we are actively planning toward that goal to improve the taxpayer experience while we advocate on their behalf.”
Jody Padar, an author and speaker known as “The Radical CPA,” and Katie Tolin, a growth strategist for CPAs, together launched a training and technology platform called XcelLabs.
XcelLabs provides solutions to help accountants use artificial technology fluently and strategically. The Pennsylvania Institute of CPAs and CPA Crossings joined with Padar and Tolin as strategic partners and investors.
“To reinvent the profession, we must start by training the professional who can then transform their firms,” Padar said in a statement. “By equipping people with data and insights that help them see things differently, they can provide better advice to their clients and firm.”
The platform includes XcelLabs Academy, a series of educational online courses on the basics of AI, being a better advisor, leadership and practice management; Navi, a proprietary tool that uses AI to help accountants turn unstructured data like emails, phone calls and meetings into insights; and training and consulting services. These offerings are currently in beta testing.
“Accountants know they need to be more advisory, but not everyone can figure out how to do it,” Tolin said in a statement. “Couple that with the fact that AI will be doing a lot of the lower-level work accountants do today, and we need to create that next level advisor now. By showing accountants how to unlock patterns in their actions and turn client conversations into emotionally intelligent advice, we can create the accounting professional of the future.”
“AI is transforming how CPAs work, and XcelLabs is focused on helping the profession evolve with it,” PICPA CEO Jennifer Cryder said in a statement. “At PICPA, we’re proud to support a mission that aligns so closely with ours: empowering firms to use AI not just for efficiency, but to drive growth, value and long-term relevance.”
The accountant the world urgently needs has evolved far beyond the traditional role we recognized just a few years ago.
The transformation of the accounting profession is not merely an anticipated change; it is a pressing reality that is currently shaping business decisions, academic programs and the expected contributions of professionals. Yet, in many areas, accounting education stubbornly clings to outdated, overly technical models that fail to connect with the actual demands of the market. We must confront a critical question: If we continue to train accountants solely to file tax reports, are we truly equipping them for the challenges of today’s world?
This shift in mindset extends beyond individual countries or educational systems; it is a global movement. The recent announcement of the
The CIMA/CGMA proposal for 2026 is not just a curriculum update; it is a powerful manifesto. This new program positions analytical thinking, strategic business partnering and technology application at the core of accounting education. It unequivocally highlights sustainability, aligning with IFRS S1 and S2, and expands the accountant’s responsibilities beyond mere numbers to encompass conscious leadership, environmental impact and corporate governance.
The current changes in the accounting profession underscore an urgent shift in expectations from both educators and employers. Today, companies of all sizes and industries demand accountants who can do far more than interpret balance sheets. They expect professionals who grasp the deeper context behind the numbers, identify inconsistencies, anticipate potential issues before they escalate into losses, and act decisively as a bridge between data and decision making.
To meet these expectations, a radical mindset shift is essential. There are firms still operating on autopilot, mindlessly repeating tasks with minimal critical analysis. Likewise, many academic programs continue to treat accounting as purely a technical discipline, disregarding the vital elements of reflection, strategy and behavioral insight. This outdated approach creates a significant mismatch. While the world forges ahead, parts of the accounting profession remain stuck in the past.
The consequences of this shift are already becoming evident. The demand for compliance, transparency and sustainability now applies not only to large corporations but also to small and mid-sized businesses. Many of these organizations rely on professionals ill-equipped to drive the necessary changes, putting both business performance and the reputation of the profession at risk.
The positive news is that accountants who are ready to thrive in this new era do not necessarily need additional degrees. What they truly need is a commitment to awareness, a dedication to continuous learning, and the courage to step beyond their comfort zones. The future of accounting is here, and it is firmly rooted in analytical, strategic and human-oriented perspectives. The 2026 curriculum is a clear indication of the changes underway. Those who fail to think critically and holistically will be left behind.
In contrast, accountants who see the big picture, understand the ripple effects of their decisions, and actively contribute to the financial and ethical health of organizations will undeniably remain indispensable, anywhere in the world.
Congressional Republicans are siding with Donald Trump in the messy divorce between the president and Elon Musk, an optimistic sign for eventual passage of a tax cut bill at the root of the two billionaires’ public feud.
Lawmakers are largely taking their cues from Trump and sticking by the $3 trillion bill at the center of the White House’s economic agenda. Musk, the biggest political donor of the 2024 cycle, has threatened to help primary anyone who votes for the legislation, but lawmakers are betting that staying in the president’s good graces is the safer path to political survival.
“The tax bill is not in jeopardy. We are going to deliver on that,” House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters on Friday.
“I’ll tell you what — do not doubt, don’t second guess and do not challenge the President of the United States Donald Trump,” he added. “He is the leader of the party. He’s the most consequential political figure of our time.”
A fight between Trump and Musk exploded into public view this week. The sparring started with the tech titan calling the president’s tax bill a “disgusting abomination,” but quickly escalated to more personal attacks and Trump threatening to cancel all federal contracts and subsidies to Musk’s companies, such as Tesla Inc. and SpaceX which have benefitted from government ties.
Republicans on Capitol Hill, who had — until recently — publicly embraced Musk, said they weren’t swayed by the billionaire’s criticism that the bill cost too much. Lawmakers have refuted official estimates of the package, saying that the tax cuts for households, small businesses and politically important groups — including hospitality and hourly workers — will generate enough economic growth to offset the price tag.
“I don’t tell my friend Elon, I don’t argue with him about how to build rockets, and I wish he wouldn’t argue with me about how to craft legislation and pass it,” Johnson told CNBC earlier Friday.
House Budget Committee Chair Jodey Arrington told reporters that House lawmakers are focused on working with the Senate as it revises the bill to make sure the legislation has the political support in both chambers to make it to Trump’s desk for his signature.
“We move past the drama and we get the substance of what is needed to make the modest improvements that can be made,” he said.
House fiscal hawks said that they hadn’t changed their prior positions on the legislation based on Musk’s statements. They also said they agree with GOP leaders that there will be other chances to make further spending cuts outside the tax bill.
Representative Tom McClintock, a fiscal conservative, said “the bill will pass because it has to pass,” adding that both Musk and Trump needed to calm down. “They both need to take a nap,” he said.
Even some of the House bill’s most vociferous critics appeared resigned to its passage. Kentucky Representative Thomas Massie, who voted against the House version, predicted that despite Musk’s objections, the Senate will make only small changes.
“The speaker is right about one thing. This barely passed the House. If they muck with it too much in the Senate, it may not pass the House again,” he said.
Trump is pressuring lawmakers to move at breakneck speed to pass the tax-cut bill, demanding they vote on the bill before the July 4 holiday. The president has been quick to blast critics of the bill — including calling Senator Rand Paul
As the legislation worked its way through the House last month, Trump took to social media to criticize holdouts and invited undecided members to the White House to compel them to support the package. It passed by one vote.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune — who is planning to unveil his chamber’s version of the bill as soon as next week — said his timeline is unmoved by Musk.
“We are already pretty far down the trail,” he said.
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