Explainer: Hobbled IRS tax agency may need months to get cash to Americans

BUSINESS NEWSMARCH 26, 2020 / 11:11 AM / UPDATED 3 HOURS AGO

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In order to put recession-fighting checks into the hands of millions of Americans, the U.S. government will rely on a tax agency that has fewer workers, a smaller budget and the same 1960s-era computer systems it had the last time it was asked to do so.

Hollowed out by budget cuts and hobbled by obsolete technology, the U.S. Internal Revenue Service has struggled over the past decade. Audits have dropped and taxpayer service has suffered, agency figures show.

Now Congress and the Trump administration are piling on more work as they scramble to contain the fallout from the coronavirus, which threatens to plunge the world’s largest economy into recession.

The U.S. Senate approved a massive stimulus bill on Wednesday that would provide payments of up to $1,200 to millions of Americans. It also includes a range of tax breaks for businesses and individuals. The House of Representatives is expected to pass it on Friday.

Reporting by Andy Sullivan; Editing by Heather Timmons, Daniel Wallis and Dan Grebler

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-usa-irs-explainer/explainer-hobbled-irs-tax-agency-may-need-months-to-get-cash-to-americans-idUSKBN21D2II