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U.S. NEWS Thursday 23 June 2022
‘Groundhog Day’ at IRS: Returns pile up, phone delays worsen

By FATIMA HUSSEIN and mandating employee
Associated Press overtime, she said.
WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s In a joint letter to Sen. Ron
Groundhog Day at the IRS. Wyden, D-Ore., who heads
After digging out of a the Senate Finance Com-
daunting backlog from mittee, Treasury Deputy
2021, the agency has an Secretary Wally Adeyemo
even bigger backup for and IRS Commissioner
this tax season than it did a Chuck Rettig said that
year ago and its pace for roughly six to eight IRS em-
processing paper returns is ployees manually handle
slowing down, according each paper return that is
to a watchdog report re- filed.
leased Wednesday. “What the agency requires
The National Taxpayer Ad- to avoid a crisis like this
vocate, an independent in the future is sustained,
watchdog within the IRS, multi-year funding to invest
also said taxpayers are in overhauling antiquated
experiencing longer wait technology, improving tax-
times on the telephone, payer service, and increas-
and delays in processing ing voluntary compliance,”
paper returns have been A portion of the 1040 U.S. Individual Income Tax Return form is shown July 24, 2018, in New York. the letter said.
running six months to one Associated Press “Those resources will be
year. crucial to automating op-
The report on taxpayer still buried in it,’” National the end of May the agency cerning, primarily because erations to increase effi-
challenges, which must be Taxpayer Advocate Erin had a backlog of 21.3 mil- millions of taxpayers have ciency.”
submitted twice a year to Collins wrote in the report. lion unprocessed paper been waiting six months or Tony Reardon, president
Congress, comes one day “Fast forward to this Objec- tax returns, an increase of more to receive their re- of the National Treasury
after the Internal Revenue tives Report: It’s Ground- 1.3 million over the same funds,” Collins said. Employees Union, said
Service announced that it hog Day.” time last year. The agency Jodie Reynolds, a spokes- “no one feels the pres-
is on track to eliminate its She added: “At the end of fell short on its goal to bring person for the IRS, said the sure about backlogs more
2021 backlog of tax returns May, the IRS had a larger on 5,473 new employees report’s numbers “are nei- than the front-line workers
this week. backlog of paper tax re- to process returns, with just ther the most accurate nor who have been plowing
The Objectives Report to turns than it did a year ago, 2,056 employees hired. most recent figures.” through that paperwork for
Congress contains propos- and its pace of processing Additionally, phone wait “Today, the IRS is running months now.”
als for lawmakers to con- paper tax returns was slow- times increased to 29 min- well ahead of tax return “Employees working on the
sider going forward. ing.” utes on average, com- processing compared to a backlogs have been doing
“When I released my An- Collins, who serves as an pared with last year’s year ago,” Reynolds said. so at IRS facilities around
nual Report to Congress six IRS ombudsman, said of the 20-minute average wait “The IRS continues to make the country throughout
months ago, I wrote that agency’s problems: “The time. substantial progress on the the pandemic,” and have
‘Paper is the IRS’s Kryp- math is daunting.” “That the backlog contin- inventory,” bringing on new been working overtime to
tonite, and the agency is According to the report, at ues to grow is deeply con- contractors, shifting staff address the logjam.q

U.S. importing baby formula from

Mexico to ease shortage

By ZEKE MILLER White House said, nearly and safety protocols, but
Associated Press doubling the amount im- shuttered again more than
WASHINGTON (AP) — The ported to the U.S. to date. a week ago after severe
Biden administration an- Cargo flights from Europe weather caused damage
nounced Wednesday and Australia already have to the plant.
that it is providing logisti- brought baby formula into The company said it needs
cal support to import the the U.S., including two new time to assess damage and
equivalent of about 16 mil- rounds of air shipments that re-sanitize the factory after
lion 8-ounce baby formula begin this weekend. severe thunderstorms and
bottles from Mexico starting The White House has been heavy rains swept through
this weekend, as part of its working to make supply southwestern Michigan on Baby formula is displayed on the shelves of a grocery store in
efforts to ease nationwide more available as it has June 13. Carmel, Ind. on May 10, 2022.
supply shortages caused faced pressure from par- Last month, the Food and Associated Press
by the closure of the largest ents over supply issues af- Drug Administration moved Wednesday’s announce- two shipments on June 26
U.S. manufacturing plant. ter regulators in February to ease federal import ment also includes air and July 5.
The Department of Health shuttered a Michigan plant regulations to allow baby shipments of 1.65 million The White House says
and Human Services is run by Abbott that is the formula to be shipped to 8-ounce bottle equiva- that by June 26, it efforts,
expediting the travel of largest domestic manufac- the U.S., and Biden autho- lents of Nestlé NAN Supre- dubbed “Operation Fly For-
trucks that will drive about turer of baby formula over rized the use of the Defense mepro 2 infant formula mula,” will have brought 32
1 million pounds of Ger- safety concerns. The plant Production Act to provide from Germany to Texas this flights and almost 19 million
ber Good Start Gentle in- reopened on June 4 af- federal support to move weekend, and 5.5 million 8-ounce bottle equivalents
fant formula from a Nestlé ter the company commit- formula from overseas into 8-ounce bottle equivalents of infant formula into the
plant to U.S. retailers, the ted to additional sanitizing the U.S. of Bubs infant formula in U.S.q