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business Wednesday 16 February 2022
Please hold: Pricey way to jump IRS phone line at tax time

By FATIMA HUSSEIN ing in an email that he was
Associated Press "hyper-focused on build-
WASHINGTON (AP) — If ing" the business. In a video
there's one thing that pains on his website, he says his
everyone trying to reach approach may be "unorth-
the IRS at tax time, it's being odox," but it's also a "no-
stuck on endless hold. brainer" to avoid wasting
Well, not everyone. time on hold.
E. Martin Davidoff's ac- Mark Steber, chief tax of-
counting firm spends up- ficer at Jackson Hewitt Tax
wards of $5,000 a year to Service, is among the many
a company that can zip CPAs who use enQ.
him and others to the front "We're conflicted that it
of the line to get through costs money to access a
to an IRS customer service free government service,'"
representative. He says Steber said, "but in the ser-
paying for enQ's line-jump- vice of serving American
ing service cuts out hours taxpayers, I kind of fault the
every day that he would IRS for not having funding
otherwise spend waiting to and resources — but they
talk to an agent. haven't been funded for 20
"It's the epitome of Ameri- A sign is displayed outside the Internal Revenue Service building May 4, 2021, in Washington. years."
can entrepreneurship," says Associated Press Legislation that would have
Davidoff, who heads the given the IRS billions of dol-
National Tax Controversy reached record levels. tigate how the company's And the problem is im- lars to bolster its enforce-
Practice for Prager Metis in "No taxpayers should have robocalls to the IRS affect mense. At the height of the ment capacity and update
New Jersey. to fork over $1,000 to a pri- agency phone systems. 2021 filing season, the IRS everything from printers to
Consumer advocates are vate company to get their The company's bots regu- was receiving more than photocopiers to the agen-
less enamored with enQ, phone calls answered by larly get in the queue for 1,500 calls per second. cy's staffing levels and im-
seeing it as a pay-to-play the IRS. It's maddening," various IRS service lines, National Taxpayer Advo- proving telephone service
arrangement that gives committee chairman Sen. and then clients who dial cate Erin Collins, who serves is stalled in Congress.
those who can afford it a Ron Wyden of Oregon in to enQ can swap in to as an IRS ombudsman, told Robert Nassau, director of
way to get quick access to wrote in an email to the spots at the front of the a House subcommittee the Low Income Taxpayer
what should be a free gov- AP. "Rebuilding this agency waiting list. earlier this month that tax- Clinic at Syracuse Univer-
ernment service equally so it can serve hardwork- Tax professionals who need payers had more difficulty sity College of Law, said
available to all. ing taxpayers is a top prior- regular access to IRS ser- reaching the IRS by phone getting through to an IRS
Members of Congress from ity, and the committee will vices during the busy filing in 2021 than ever before. agent can feel like winning
both parties have con- again examine the issue season say that while enQ Because of staffing issues the lottery. "I can't tell for
cerns, too. The service is this week." may be controversial, it's and an overload of work, certain how much harder it
expected to come up on Last November, Sens. Bill necessary for them to do just 11% of the 282 million has made it for people like
Thursday when the Senate Cassidy, R-La.; Todd Young, complicated tax work. The phone calls received last me to get through," he said
Finance Committee holds R-Ind.; Bob Menendez, D- service, which can cost year were answered. of enQ, "but these bots are
a hearing on customer ser- N.J.; and Mark Warner, $300 a month or $1,000 a Andrew Valiente, founder probably trying to call the
vice problems at the IRS, D-Va., wrote to the IRS to year, claims to cut phone and CEO of enQ, declined same number that I'm try-
where call volumes have urge the agency to inves- hold times by up to 90%. to comment in detail, stat- ing to call."q

Elon Musk gives about $5.7 billion in Tesla stock to charity

DETROIT (AP) — Tesla CEO not name any recipients for reported that as of Dec. 31
Elon Musk donated about 5 the donation. he holds 231.7 million shares
million shares of company David Beasley, WFP ex- of the electric vehicle and
stock worth roughly $5.7 bil- ecutive director, said in a solar panel maker's stock,
lion to an unidentified char- statement Tuesday that or 21.2% of the company's
ity in November, according the organization hasn't re- total value. The amount in-
to a regulatory filing. ceived anything from Musk cludes 172.6 million shares
The shares were donated yet. "There are millions of held by Musk's trust and op-
from Nov. 19 to Nov. 29, the people around the world tions to buy another 59.1
filing with the U.S. Securities on the brink of starvation. million shares within 60 days
and Exchange Commission Whether WFP receives any of Dec. 31, 2021.
said. of this money is yet to be Last November, Musk be-
In late October, Musk, the seen, but I am excited to gan selling shares, which
world's richest man, tweet- hear that Elon is engaged. he said on Twitter would
ed that he would sell $6 bil- This is an amazing and go to pay for his tax obli- CEO Elon Musk departs from the justice center in Wilmington,
lion in Tesla stock and give great first step," Beasley gations on stock options Del., on July 13, 2021.
the money to the United said in a statement sent by that are part of his all-stock Associated Press
Nations World Food Pro- a spokesman. compensation package.
gram if the organization A message was left Tues- Analysts estimate his tax than 15 million shares worth stake in the company. With
would describe how the day seeking comment obligation at $10 billion to roughly $16.4 billion. Musk the sales in late Decem-
money would solve world from Tesla. $15 billion. had written on Twitter that ber, Musk is close to selling
hunger. But the filing did In a separate filing, Musk So far he has sold more he would sell 10% of his 10%.q