Amid ongoing mail processing issues, U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff is urging the IRS to address the penalties and delays Georgia residents face due to chronic USPS performance issues that impact the payment of federal taxes.
In connection with the payment of federal taxes, Georgia has again experienced chronic delays in mail processing and delivery, which the country’s citizens have been struggling with for months.
U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff (D-Georgia) launched an investigation into the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) on Wednesday after hearing about voters who were charged penalties and interest for late or missed payments they made to the IRS on time.
“These tax returns are not arriving within legal deadlines and some returns are even being ignored due to ongoing performance issues with the USPS (United States Postal Service),” Ossoff wrote in a letter to IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel.
“In addition, many of my constituents continue to face financial difficulties due to delays in processing tax refunds due to ongoing issues with USPS management in Georgia.”
Ossoff questioned Postmaster General Louis DeJoy at a Senate committee hearing in April after receiving reports that only 36% of inbound mail processed by the Atlanta Regional Processing and Distribution Center was being delivered on time.
DeJoy attributed the delays to problems implementing a restructuring plan for the USPS aimed at making the postal service financially independent and more competitive with private carriers. He addressed the delays by bringing more than 100 employees from other mail processing centers to the facility in Palmetto, in the Atlanta area, and revising transportation schedules between the regional center and other processing centers to increase the number of local trips.
In June, DeJoy reported that timely mail delivery was improving, but Georgia residents continued to complain about delays in sending and receiving mail.
Ossoff is calling on the IRS to waive penalties and interest fees incurred as a direct result of the USPS delays, adjust tax accounts in a timely manner so that penalties and fees do not accumulate, and expedite the processing of tax refunds for taxpayers affected by the USPS delays.
